Cult Potter
by TheGirlWithFarTooManyIdeas
Summary: Edith Potter's life with her abusive family taught her two things. First - the only language some people understood was violence. Second - fear only lasts a generation; kindness lasts forever. The Girl Who Lived returns to magical Britain a cynical visionary; drawing in allies from all four houses for an end game neither Dumbledore nor Voldemort anticipated. Dark!Fem!Harry
1. Chapter 1

**Cult of Potter**

 _ **Wanda: It's about time I tried to write a straight up, Dark - Operative style character. Will be rated M down the line for similar reasons to Jekyll and Hyde, though this story will have a somewhat different tone from that one...since this Potter doesn't have a Helen side to balance her out. Essentially, this is a story about a cult power becoming a fringe group in the heart of a corrupted society...creating a third side in the continious blood war.**_

 _ **Fun fact - Edith Potter isn't the only gender bent for this one. She and Dancia Malfoy share a birthday thanks to the butterfly effect.**_

 _ **Anyhows, I'm excited, so let's get the ball rolling! I do not own Harry Potter.**_

 **Prologue**

In between the coats in a closet, on a normal looking street with a normal looking family, a little girl was biding her time to make a run for it.

She was small and skinny, even for an eight year old. Very dark red hair, matted and uncared for, hung around her face like a curtain, hiding her bright green eyes which always saw too much. She was dressed in ragged old hand me down clothes at least a generation old, which often got laughs out of the richer kids in the neighbourhood.

Now, sometimes kids hid in places like this when playing games with their family. That was not the case here. Actually, the little girl was hiding from her uncle, who was in a drunken rage. She could hear him smashing plates in the kitchen, slurring and shouting over being passed over for a promotion.

Edith Potter had enough experience with these fits to know to stay out of his way. There was a long scar across her arm to prove it from when he'd thrown one of her aunt's fine china plates at her head. Whenever he got like this, her aunt would take her spoiled cousin out to the park or somewhere else where she could spoil him, leaving her unwanted niece behind.

Eventually, Vernon Dursley would drink enough that he would either pass out or fall asleep. This was the moment Edith would take to escape, get outside the house and onto the roads. She would stay there, wandering from place to place, for as long as she could before going back to the place dubiously called her 'home'.

Edith pressed her back against the wooden walls of the closet, biting her lip so hard she could taste blood. She desperately wished that Vernon wouldn't find her, that she could become invisible and he wouldn't be able to hurt her.

Sometimes it worked; he would shamble up to her and then walk right on by for reasons she didn't understand (yet). Other times, she wasn't so lucky. Usually, she'd wake up in the cupboard where she slept with a pounding headache, bloodstains and a lack of memory going back several hours.

That didn't happen as much as the lack of food.

Edith was pretty familiar with pain. It made her ache inside, and she vowed to herself that, once she finally escaped these people, she would protect others from this sort of pain.

 _I'll make sure nothing bad ever happens to them. I'd be a Queen and they would be my people. I'd make a Utopia and no one would be sad again._

A thud brought her out of her thoughts, followed by quiet. Cautiously, Edith pushed the closet door a crack and eyed the kitchen. Sure enough, Vernon had collapsed on the floor, tongue lolling out and everything.

Quickly, Edith pulled down the ragged black trench coat no one else used and wrapped it around her, slipping into the boots with holes on the sides and stepped out into the room. She glanced over her shoulder one last time, just to be safe, before heading to the door. She swiped the spare key and a handful of crumpled ones off the front hall table and pushed the door open.

Little Whining was a fairly uptown neighbourhood – the prices of the houses had shot up recently thanks to movement in the stock market, so more and more rich families had come to take residence there. It looked very clean, very pristine...in the suberbs, anyway.

Edith started walking down the streets, buttoning up her coat as she went. The square cut green lawns and the unified two story houses bored her in how utterly mundane they were; there wasn't any place for something different or strange. And 'strange' just about summed up Edith in a nutshell.

Being forced to fend for herself, Edith had become very observant. Petunia and Vernon had drilled it into her that she was a 'freak', abnormal, unnatural and a perversion of a regular human being. And was it wrong that strange things kept happening around her?

Things moved when she was scared. Lights exploded or turned themselves off. She would be running from Dudley's gang and suddenly find herself on the roof of the school. Glass windows vanished. Kids insisted they were being given nightmares.

Everyone whispered about her, watching her with wariness in her eyes. Petunia and Vernon made it very clear that Edith was something to be feared. She was freak, a soon to be criminal, they warned. She was cold and selfish and dangerous.

Did she have much of a choice, if everyone kept shunning her? Edith wondered sometimes, though she usually shook the question off. She did whatever she could to simply keep herself relatively safe, which wasn't always easy.

Especially when it came to Dudley's gang, who usually sought her out at school.

So when she spotted them at the end of the street, she turned sharply to the right and hurried further into the heart of the city. She knew her way around there better than they did.

 ****~The Street, several hours later~****

Edith sat carelessly propped up on an iron bar under a train bridge. It was pouring cold rain and a strong wind; October was inching into November and she didn't have a very adequate winter coat. She nibbled on a stolen apple, idly scraping further tallies across the worn copper surface. Hundreds of marks already existed on this support beam, for the days she had spent here.

She watched the road from above; cars flew along in both directions through the tunnel that lead out of town towards the bigger cities. If anyone noticed her, they went past her without stopping.

Edith adjusted her coat to better cover her neck; her socks were already soaked through and had gone numb. Tossing the core away once she had bitten off all she could, Edith rubbed her hands together in an attempt to warm them up. The cold and numbness made her very tired, but she couldn't afford to fall asleep on the high rise.

Yawning, Edith pulled her knees closer to her chest and refocused her attention at her hands. She was weaving together red and yellow threads around blue and purple beads, turning it over and over to make a bracelet. She had made quite a few; sometimes it was the only way to pass the time in the black cupboard where she was often imprisoned.

Sometimes she had trouble understanding herself. She liked people, but hated her family. She felt compassion for the lost ones, but resented the well dressed and pompous rich folk like her abusive aunt and uncle.

If you watched too much Star Wars, you would assume you can't feel compassion and kindness if you gave into 'the hatred'. Edith always found it funny that Obi-Wan always said, "Only a Sith deals in absolutes"...which was a pretty absolute thing to say.

Edith felt a sense of kinship with Anakin Skywalker. She was a lot like him, though she had less of an easily-triggered temper. _Tempers were dangerous when you would get beaten up for imagined crimes._ They both began life as slaves. Everyone distrusted them and looked at them with contempt, unless they wanted something from them.

The Jedi wanted him to be their special prophecy child, and they didn't care about what it meant for him – and that didn't even factor into their treatment of his Padawan Ashoka. Yoda even said that you would become evil if you continued to love your mother and your wife. Love, the precious thing, that treated as a fault, an aberration.

Edith found it rather disgusting, personally. Without love, you might as well be dead.

The Emperor had been no different, though he was more outwardly evil. Blatantly so, in fact, it was kind of crazy. Luke eventually managed to restore Anakin to himself, but it wasn't enough to save the man.

Edith heard some yelling down on the streets. Startled out of her thoughts, she looked down at the road. A richly dressed man had been stopped at the corner by three raggedly dressed, desperate looking young boys.

Despite it being a populated city, Edith saw people in their houses either disinterestedly walking by or anxiously disappearing into nearby buildings. No one attempted to assist the man, and he was promptly relieved of everything valuable.

 _He's lucky_ , Edith noted. Often times, victims of road attacks like this ended up stabbed or even shot, left to bleed on the roadside.

She had seen that happen a few times before; she had been the one to call the police and kept pressure on the wounds until the ambulance showed up. She saw these kinds of things all the time.

 _It's a very cold world out here, isn't it?_ Edith wondered, leaning back against the rain soaked beam. _If you try to help these people, you're considered an abnormal boat rocker._

Going back to her bracelet weaving, Edith envisioned a world as she made it – with herself as Queen and the lost ones as her citizens. She would take care of everyone; she would make happiness and security and family a priority. Everyone would be happy and safe.

"Lavander's blue, dilly dilly, lavender's green, when I am king dilly dilly you shall be queen." She sang, twisting the strings around the large pale bead. "who told me so, dilly dilly, who told you so? T'was my own heart dilly dilly, it told me so."

She tied the knot and continued on her way, pressing a small red costume ruby into the mix. "Lavander's green, dilly dilly, lavender's blue, you must love me dilly dilly for I love you."

In her dreams, a beautiful red haired woman sang it to her while rocking the cradle she was lying in. Edith figured that was one of her oldest memories – a memory of her mother, Lily Evans. She followed her instincts on the matter, because Petunia had no pictures of her in the house and it always made Vernon angry when his sister in law came up.

Edith glanced at the wristwatch with a cracked screen she had gotten from a yard sale a year ago. It was past midnight, and the rain was giving no sign of letting up.

Standing up, the young girl climbed down the support beams and walked into the back alley of a fast food restaurant. She slipped in through the open back door, dodging past a pair of cooks and over to the stairwell to the basement.

Nimbly trawling down the stairs, Edith made her way to the back of the basement where the boiler was. Sliding off her rain soaked coat and throwing it over the heater, the young girl curled up in a box and fell into a fitful sleep.

 _ ****~At School~****_

"Freak! Hey Freak, I'm talking to you!"

Edith grimaced, her fist clenching on her coat when she heard Dudley's squeaky voice behind her. She was standing at the edge of the playground, trying to mind her own business when her cousin sought her out. His entire gang was with him.

Usually, when this happened, she would get beaten so badly she often ended up bleeding from the mouth. It caused the few times that Petunia had actually taken her to the hospital. Today things were going to go differently.

Anger flooded through Edith's veins. Dudley took a perverse joy in beating her up. She hated being mistreated constantly, and she had never fought back.

Until now.

Magic flared from Edith's core, sending a shock wave out around her.

Her cousin and his friends were thrown backwards in every direction; Dudley slammed his head against the iron pole of the fence and dropped like a sack of bricks.

When he didn't move after several seconds, his gang panicked and scattered, leaving Edith standing in a state of alarm several feet away. Tentatively she walked over to her cousin and pushed him onto his size; so small feat since Dudley was easily twice her weight. She saw some blood trickling down the back of his neck where the pole had hit true.

Dropping his arm, Edith sprinted off to get one of the playground supervisors, heart pounding. Had she _killed_ Dudley? _Please say no, please..._

Thankfully, when the teacher examined him she said he had just gotten cracked skin and a huge lump; the young Potter should have guessed that her cousin's head was too thick to be seriously damaged by something like that. The teacher asked what happened; she said he was roughhousing with his friends and fell.

Dudley and his gang were a pack of ruffians. Edith was a quiet, well behaved young lady. The teacher believed her, especially since the boys were hysterically insisting that she had somehow thrown them all around like rag dolls.

The teacher eventually left the boys with a stern warning that she would be watching them, before taking Dudley back to the school.

Edith stayed where she was, watching them leave, feeling something cool and calculating taking hold inside her chest.

People like her family.

The gang hovered nearby, watching her with new eyes. It was fear...and something else - Respect? Admiration? Edith looked between them, before turning on her heels and calmly walking away from them. They did not follow her, like they had before. They clustered close to each other, watching her leave. The Freak wasn't just some victim anymore. She was something else entirely. She had power.

Edith had learned an important lesson that day – _the only language some people understood was violence_.

 **% &%&%&%&%&%&%&**

Edith saw the boys again after lunch. They were hovering around the entrance of the cafeteria, shunned by the rest of their schoolmates. The redhead didn't feel pity for them; but the understanding she had gained gave her an idea...

Walking over to them, Edith offered Piers an apple off her tray. The boy stared at her in disbelief, but after a few seconds he accepted it. Tilting her head towards her seat, Edith got herself some more food and waited.

Sure enough, Piers, Duncan, and Matt all hesitantly joined her. Edith casually chatted with them, asking them questions about their day and what they were planning to do on the weekend. Simultaneously the boys were ashamed and happy.

The Freak isn't so bad, they thought. She was tough, but she was also nice even to people who didn't deserve it. Duncan mentally compared her to his bitter, apathetic mother and found he liked Freak better; maybe he could hang out at her house whenever the elder woman got into the alcohol. Piers, military brat that he was, wondered why his grandfather was so disdainful of forgiving, kind people. Matt just found Freak more intimidating than Dudley now, and wanted to stay on her good side. Besides, she talked better than he did.

Edith could see the changes in the boy's eyes. Their loyalty was shifting. The young Potter was good at reading people; the streets had taught her that people's intentions can often be seen in their eyes. Knowing who to avoid was instrumental to avoid getting hurt.

She offered herself as a friend, and a buoy when surrounded by distrustful students and adults who gave them cold, disapproving looks. Doing so secured their loyalty to her.

When Dudley tried to bully her the next day, Duncan told him not to insult her. The look on her cousin's face was absolutely priceless; Edith cracked a small smile at it. When Dudley followed this up by trying to punch her in the face, Matt stepped forward and pushed him to the ground. Duncan threatened to 'mess him up' if he tried to hurt Freak again.

Edith learned another lesson in that time. Kindness _was_ stronger than fear, in many ways.

Fear lasted a generation. Kindness lasted forever.

 **End Prologue**

 **And so goes Edith's Start of Darkness...what do you think?**

 **Read and Review please!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Cult Potter**

 **Thirtyish reviews for the first chapter? You guys are amazing. I hope you enjoy this chapter! I do not own Harry Potter.**

 **Chapter 2: Identity**

Edith sat on the edge of the playground equipment, kicking her feet out to stretch her muscles. She had grown taller over the past few months, so the boot cupboard felt more confining then ever before. Her patience for that tiny enclosure was running thin; while the presence of Dudley's _former_ gang at her house had prompted Vernon and Petunia to give her more regular meals out of fear of discovery they were still as awful as ever.

Duncan shambled over to her and offered her a mug of hot chocolate; it was one of the rare days his mother roused herself enough to throw scraps of affection at her son. Edith accepted it with a smile and took a sip, enjoying how it warmed her inside.

"I hate math," Piers grumbled; he was perched on the edge of the slide, struggling with the review sheets their teacher had handed out yesterday. "'What's the value of x? Why does it matter?! Why don't they just _skip_ this 'hide and seek' and just _use the numbers_ in the first place?"

"What's giving you trouble?" Edith asked.

Piers crawled over and dropped his book on the ground next to her. The redhead examined the question for a moment before patiently walking the learning-challenged boy through the equation once again.

"How do you do this so easily, Freak?" Matt asked after she finished. He was an undiagnosed dyslexic; his parents called him 'lazy'.

The boys still called her that, but it had less bite now. Besides, they weren't exactly wrong, were they? She was a freak.

Edith shrugged. "I have to spend a lot of time by myself; I just use it as a means to pass the time." She took another drink; she didn't mention the 'time to herself' was usually when her aunt and uncle locked her up in solitary confinement. That went without saying.

"Hey, Piers!" Duncan tensed up when Dudley stomped over towards them; he stepped in between Edith and her cousin. Edith suppressed a smile; a few warm, friendly words and he protected her without having to be asked.

"Whatdaya want, Dudley?" Piers growled, annoyed at being distracted when he was finally close to the end of the page. His father had promised a trip to MacDonalds if he got his math grade up.

"Miss Hannington's in the bookstore, and her car is out in the lot! Let's go egg it." Dudley said. He hated their English teacher because she always kept him in for recess whenever he started bothering the other students, especially Edith.

"I'm busy right now." Piers said. "I don't want to."

Dudley gawped at him. He had tried to reassert himself into the gang several times since the Incident, but Edith's hold over them had changed everything. Duncan straight up wouldn't hang out with him anymore, because he had latched onto Edith's calm, friendly manner. (Dudley usually yelled at him when they got in trouble, even if it was his fault to begin with.) Piers and Matt, while somewhat loyal, had blatantly snubbed Dudley several times at Edith's behest.

"Why not!?" He shrieked, his voice growing sharp and whiny.

"Because we always get in trouble when you do." Matt responded with condescending annoyance. "Then you yell at us for 'messing up' and getting you in trouble."

Dudley's face turned purple; a clear warning that he was about to launch into a patented Dursley temper tantrum.

"Why do you traitors want to hang out with Freak all of a sudden!? She's nothing! I'm telling daddy! She's turned you against me!"

"You did that yourself, Dudley." Edith informed him, her voice becoming cold. She had long gotten sick of her cousin's attitude. "How about you be a _man_ and take some ownership of your behaviour for once in your life?"

Dudley lunged at her. Duncan kicked him in the stomach, knocking him onto his back. Piers and Matt both jumped down from the equipment and joined in, kicking and punching Dudley in a group. Edith made no move to stop them; she dispassionately sipped her hot chocolate as she watched. The memory of the beatings she'd gotten still lurked near in her memory.

This went on for about a minute, until Dudley, bruised and bloody, retreated from the park. Piers snorted and rubbed his hands.

"What a joke." He muttered.

Edith nodded in agreement. Knowing that Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon would never let this slide, she asked, "Matt, can I have two bus fares and a movie ticket? I think we all deserve some time off after hard work."

Matt stared at her for a second, before nodding and pulling out his wallet. Taking the money with a nod and a handshake, Edith waved the three boys goodbye and made her way down to the bus stop.

She hopped on the train just before Vernon exploded onto the empty playground.

 _ ****~Later that Day~****_

" _ **You know I can take anything I want..."**_

Edith leaned against the bar, eyes on the screen where Kylo Ren was interrogating the young scavenger Rey. The seventh Star Wars movie had just been released, and she was deeply intrigued by the new Sith currently gracing the screen.

Kylo Ren...Ben Solo...shared some similarities with his grandfather Anakin. But in some ways he was more enigmatic. While he had an impulsive temper – the scene where he obliterated the control system came to mind – he had sought out the Dark Side independently.

Anakin had sought it out as a way to save Padme, but Kylo seemed to have delved into the darkness somewhat voluntarily...there was a complexity hiding under his mask that he was trying with all his power to conceal. He was convinced that the Dark Side was the only way to gain the power he needed...

Edith thought he was half right. Obviously, the Sith were too cartoonishly evil to maintain an empire. They inspired no loyalty outside of brainwashed children and other monsters who sought power for their own sake. If the Rebels hadn't defeated them, the Empire would have cannibalized itself, torn apart by dissension among its leaders.

However, it couldn't be denied that the Republic was staffed by goddamn morons (not listening to Princess Leia? Really?) and the Jedi had been a group of fanatical, emotion-suppressing sociopaths. There was power in the Dark Side, incredible power.

Edith felt like Kylo Ren was forgetting something important – you couldn't _just_ be Dark. The path to a true empire required both Dark and Light. Loyalty and love as well as fear and respect.

She wondered if Rey could help him realize this.

All political musings aside, Edith was fascinated by what Kylo was able to _do_ with the Force. Anakin had mainly used the Force to choke imbecilic subordinates, while the Emperor used lightning and seemingly nothing else.

Kylo, however, stopped sniper blasts in mid air, levitated people and read their minds. In fact, several of the things he could do looked very familiar...

Contrary to what her aunt and uncle tried to impress on her, Edith was very aware of the strange things that happened around her. Being first on the ground, and then on the top of a building...being able to hide herself from her uncle's eyes...it wasn't normal. There were also the strange people who seemed to know her; like the man in the purple hat who had bowed to her in the grocery store. Petunia had rushed her and Dudley outside before she could ask the man anything, but the incident had stuck in the young girl's memory.

What did being a Freak mean?

The more she watched Kylo Ren, the more Edith wanted to try something...it was crazy to think about, but an instinct was starting to boil up inside her until she could no longer ignore it...

Edith waited until the movie was over, before turning her attention to her mostly empty bag of popcorn. _This is absurd,_ she thought, but she placed it on the chair and took a few steps back.

Raising her hand forward just like Ren had in the movie, Edith imagined the bag floating up. For a moment, nothing happened...until she felt a spark inside her, and the yellow treats began to lift off the ground.

She gasped. The bag wobbled a foot off the ground; she narrowed her eyes at it, desperate to keep it afloat. It rose higher and higher, the smaller kernels that had fallen on the floor rising with it.

Edith stared in wonder at the flying bag, when a rush of laughter escaped her throat.

She had mystical powers.

When her laughter grew stronger, her broken concentration caused the bag to fall to the ground. Pressing both her hands against her chest, Edith felt a strange, triumphant sense of validation rushing up inside her. She was a freak, a _mystical_ freak.

Slinging her bag over her shoulder, Edith left the theatre trembling with anticipation. She wanted to see what else she could do.

She paused at the street corner, a thought having occurred to her quite suddenly. Why did she have powers? Was it something that happened at random? ...Or had her parents been mystical too? Is _that_ what uncle Vernon meant by 'freak'? Is that why Petunia never talked about her mother, since her mother had been magical but Petunia wasn't?

Edith looked up at the sky. It was cloudy, and the sun was starting to set. She didn't think that she should go home yet – it quite likely wasn't safe.

Resigned to wandering, Edith decided to head towards Duncan's house. His mother was so apathetic towards the world, she would let the strange redhead crash on her couch without asking any questions if Duncan pushed the issue. He was far enough away from the Dursleys that she was unlikely to be discovered before getting a good night's sleep.

 _ ****~Later that night~****_

Edith lay awake on the couch long after Duncan and his mother were asleep – it was a good thing it was a Saturday night.

Mostly she was focusing on making various things levitate; books, the television remote, the 2010 cat calendar that Duncan had for some reason – the kid had a softer side despite his relationship with Piers and Matt.

 _I'm Carrie White,_ Edith thought to herself with some amusement. She had a tattered copy stolen from the library in her cupboard; it was her favourite book.

Now all she had to do was avoid the prom and anything to do with pigs, and she was (theoretically) set. (she couldn't dance anyway so she wouldn't miss much.)

Of course, she was very familiar with Murphy's Law, so she didn't say any of that out loud.

Eventually, Edith drifted off to sleep. She found herself floating in darkness, witnessing a series of disturbing events and a familiar flash of green light...

" _Lily! Lily he's here – go – take Edith – I'll hold him off-"_

 _the voice was in the distance – her father? She couldn't tell. A moment later, a red haired woman came rushing into the room, shutting and locking it behind her. She could feel an oppressive presence in the air, and it was getting stronger with every moment._

 _The woman clutched the bars on her crib, looking down at her with tears in her eyes._

 _She had never seen anyone look at her like this; the closest was her boys and it was never this_ intense _– it wasn't warm and loving and without the fear needed to suppress their baser instincts._

 _This was the first time someone had looked at Edith with unconditional love._

" _Edith, listen...mommy loves you...daddy loves you...Edith be safe...be strong..."_

 _The door exploded open, revealing a man in black with a silver skull shaped mask over his face. Lily stood between her daughter and the man...Edith stood off to the side, a spectre unable to intervene, watching in confusion and horror she didn't yet understand..._

" _Not my baby! Please, not my little girl-"_

" _Hmph." The black cloaked man's voice made her skin crawl. "I would have thought Gryffindors would have more courage..."_

" _You can kill me instead!" Lily sobbed, pleading, stepping forward with her hands open showing her defencelessness. "Kill me instead of her, please, not my baby...let my baby girl live..."_

" _Foolish girl...stand aside now, and I'll let you live..."_

" _No...not instead of Edith. Not my baby." Lily raised her head, and her green eyes glowed with magic. "You can't have my baby girl."_

" _So be it...AVADA KEDAVERA!"_

 _Edith screamed for the first time in years...the flash of green light that had haunted her nightmares since toddlerhood filled the room...when it cleared, Lily's body lay still on the floor. Edith crawled over to her and tried to touch her shoulder, but her hand went straight through..._

 _The black figure strode across the room...Edith looked up to see him standing in front of her crib._

 _Her baby self was looking down at her mother, wondering why she wasn't moving, not realizing how close she was to death. The man raised his wand and pointed it at her forhead. "Avada Kedavera!"_

 _Edith's eyes widened. A red shield formed around her, catching the green spell and surging with energy. A second later, it blasted back in the man's face._

 _The man let out a horrible scream as his body disintegrated; the room flashed white and never faded. Edith threw her arm over her eyes, wincing, when she realized she heard snippets of conversation..._

" _...fell asleep just as we were flying o're Bristle..."_

" _...leave her here?! ...seen these muggles...worst sort of people..."_

" _...place where she is safest... even if I could, I wouldn't...scars can be useful..."_

" _...good luck...Edith Potter..."_

 _..._

 _Hey Edith...Edith...hey Edith, it's morning! Wake up!_

Edith groaned and rolled over. Duncan was hovering over her, brown eyes huge with worry. The dark haired girl felt her hands cramping and looked around blearily. At some point she had fallen off the couch.

"Edith!" Duncan said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong? You were shaking and crying in your sleep."

Edith shook her head slightly. "Oh, it's okay...I had a bad dream...that's all."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." Edith slowly got to her feet, stretching as she did so. Duncan hurriedly stood up too. "What time is it?"

"Eleven." Duncan said. "We, we were gonna meet up with Piers for lunch, weren't we? But if you aren't feeling good-"

"I'm alright," Edith insisted. She wasn't; she was anything but okay; but he wouldn't understand if she tried to explain it to him. That wasn't a dream...it was a series of fragmented memories, called up by her awakening of her magic... "Let's go. It wouldn't be nice to keep our friends waiting."

 _ ****~Later that day~****_

Lunch was a fairly calm affair; Piers was gleeful that he had finally gotten his math grade up; 'You shoulda seen Hannigan's face when she handed it to me, you'da thunk pigs had sprouted wings'. His allowance was up as a result, so he was catering.

Edith kept up with the conversation out of habit, but her mind was elsewhere. After they were finished eating, she bid farewell to her companions (she still didn't consider them friends in her head; but 'minion' felt a bit too cruel a word for them now. It implied she wasn't kind to them or would do them harm) and headed back to her aunt and uncle's house.

Stopping at the door, Edith felt a familiar surge of trepidation about re entering the abusive house. But, she remembered as she levitated a few nearby pebbles out of the corner of her eye, she wasn't defenceless anymore. And there were questions she _needed_ answered.

Twisting the handle, Edith walked inside, sliding her coat off in the process. The house was a mess; likely the results of another Dudley tantrum – he'd been having more and more of those since Edith 'stole' his gang.

Vernon came waddling out of the kitchen. "I told you already, you corporate fat cats, the rent will come at the end of the-" He stopped and stared at Edith for a second, pig like eyes narrowing in a mixture of shock and fury.

"You. Shut the door, now."

Edith closed the door, her heart pounding. There was no time to regret this choice.

A second later, Vernon came storming towards her, hand raised over his head for a strike. "How _dare_ you injure Dudley, you unnatural _freak_ -"

Instinctively, Edith thrust her hand out as a means of warding him off. But instead of crumbling against the blow, she heard a crash and Petunia screaming.

She looked up and saw her handiwork – Vernon had been flung across the room by an invisible force, striking a desk and causing the flower pot to land on his head.

Edith felt the magic running through her again. She recognized its presence and smirked at her uncle. Had Vernon been more articulate, he would have called it 'the grin of a coyote who had spotted a limping gazelle'.

The power shift became more obvious when Edith raised her hand toward the ceiling, concentrating with all her might. Vernon began to float off the floor, yelling and flailing about helplessly. Edith watched him float towards the lights, her grin growing wider as she watched his futile struggle.

"Stop!" Petunia shrieked, cowering on the stairwell. "You'll-you'll get yourself in all sorts of trouble! You're not allowed to-to-"

"To _WHAT?_ " Edith shouted, her head swivelling towards her cowering guardian. "To do _this_?!"

Vernon was slammed head first against the ceiling. Edith dropped him like a sack of bricks on the floor; blood trickled down his head.

Edith watched him groan and whine, and suddenly all the hatred she felt towards this man surged forth and manifested as magic. She grabbed him and threw him across the room, smashing a wall of Petunia's fine china. Vernon wailed helplessly as he found himself turned into a human jump rope, thrashed between the walls of his house.

"STOP! Stop, _you're killing him!_ " Petunia sobbed.

Finally her niece relented, leaving a sobbing, bloody older man on the floor. She turned and stomped over to the stairs. Petunia whimpered and scrambled backwards.

"Stop _what_?" Edith repeated, her eyes glowing with malice. "I didn't even _touch_ him."

"Y-y-you u-used that...that freakish _magic_." Petunia responded, quailing when Edith took a menacing step forward at the word 'freak'.

"Magic?" Edith laughed harshly. " _There's no such thing as magic_ ," She hissed, intentionally repeating what her 'guardians' had said when she was a younger, more naive child.

Petunia hung her head, "There is. My – my _sister_ had magic. When we were children, she – she went off to a school for it – there's a whole society of those f-f- _people_ out there somewhere."

Edith stared at her for a second, eyes flaring, that predatory look still remaining. "Is. That. So." She dragged out. Several objects in the room began to float towards the ceiling, causing Petunia to sob in fear. "Now, _how_ do a _witch_ and a _wizard_ die in a _car accident_?"

"It-It wasn't a car a-a-accident." Petunia choked out. "They...they got s-some wizard criminal angry a-and he came after t-them."

"Hm-mmm." Edith mulled that over for a second before snarling, "And _when_ was I going to find out about this? _When_ were you going to admit what _really_ happened to my parents?"

"W-We weren't going to tell you! That-that place – it's _freakish –_ it's not mean for _normal_ people. We were going to stamp it out of you!"

Edith snorted. She crossed her arms and surveyed the room, where several things were still levitating. "Well. You _failed_." She said mockingly.

Turning to the boot cupboard, Edith opened the door and began removing her possessions from it. The objects crashed to the floor, causing her aunt to flinch.

"I'm moving into the guest bedroom," Edith informed her aunt. "It's mine now. Bring dinner up there for me, I have some reading I want to do."

She strode past her aunt, who made only a feeble attempt to protest before being silenced by a glare. Once Edith had disappeared into her bedroom, only then did Petunia finally scramble down to assist her injured husband.

Vernon had a dislocated arm and severe blood loss. Petunia made up a story about him being attacked by a roving gang; just like she had invented reasons for Edith's injuries the few times she had to take the girl to the hospital.

Now she was _praying_ for Edith's letter to come...if only so this terror could leave her house.

 **End Chapter**

 _ **Yeeaahh...you might have noticed this chapter is different. Well, I started off with the while 'ancient Slytherin house' thing before I reread and and realized, 'wait, no, that's insanely derivative and copypaste from a million similar stories'. So I went back and rewrote it. I hope you don't mind too much, but this is more in line with the story I want to write again.**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Cult Potter**

 _ **Quick note: I have a model for what Edith looks like - imagine Samara from The Ring as a redhead. Also if you want to get an idea of what partially inspired this story, I suggest watching Joss Whedon's Serenity, specifically the character of The Operative.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**_

 **Chapter 2: The Letters**

The letter arrived on her eleventh birthday, just as promised. Edith had terrorized all the information she needed for starting in the 'wizarding world' out of her aunt. Her uncle was still being stubborn and boneheaded about it, but he could no longer physically intimidate Edith – which was the only strength he really had.

Edith had talked with Duncan, Matt and Piers before this day – she covered it up by saying she was being sent to some sort of finishing school. She said that the three of them should spread out, and find other _friends_ they could rely on. She also said she would write them letters.

She thought it was only fair – the three had been giving her birthday presents, after all.

Edith walked around her room, making sure there was nothing else she would need to pack. Mostly, she had books – many of which had been taken from Dudley's 'second bedroom', which had been turned into the new guest room.

(much to Dudley's fury, but no amount of temper tantrums, including throwing a poor turtle through a window, had swayed Petunia. Dudley was in shock for nearly a day afterwards.)

However, her favourite 'toy' was a birthday gift from Piers – a tazer.

Edith knew that Piers's father was a paranoid military man who saw enemies everywhere in the streets, so the boy had been taught from an early age to keep himself 'safe'. It went a long way to explain the boy's attitude; he had given it to Edith saying that 'girls are in more danger than boys, so you should keep this with you when you go places.'

Sure enough, it had proven very useful when she was pulled over by adult street vermin for whatever creepy reason. She had put one skinny creeper in the hospital with it.

So she packed it anyway, just in case – the world of magic probably wasn't 'creeper free', after all. There were vicious people everywhere. Even in _respectable_ society, as she knew very well.

She put in her favourite books – _Carrie, The Lord of the Rings, His Dark Materials, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Shining, IT, Sin City_.

Her new clothes also. She wasn't about to give up _that_ commodity, after all, even if the robes were what was required. She went eight years wearing her aunt's old rags, after all.

Her notebooks were handy, too – she kept track of the things Matt stole, the stuff she stole and fenced, and the money she got for it. Petunia had said she could make transfers for pounds and such, after all, and she couldn't expect her dear aunt and uncle to handle that. She also kept track of who interacted with who.

The gloves she used when in cat burglar mode also went in. (sometimes she broke into houses who's owners were on vacation, so she could stay the night) She could usually climb about three stories before vertigo made her dizzy and insecure.

Placing her final book ( _The Jewel_ ) inside, Edith closed and locked her trunk (mainly to keep Dudley out. The little shite never learned.) It was only a quarter of the way filled; she hadn't done her shopping yet. Her aunt was going to take her.

She walked down the stairs; Petunia was standing nervously by the door. "Let's go," Edith said simply, not acknowledging her uncle or saying 'good morning'.

 _ ****~Diagon Alley~****_

"So, what sort of animal should I get..."

"A-A familiar isn't...exactly...required." Petunia said nervously.

"But I want one," Edith decided, smirking when her aunt winced in response. "You'd never know when a guard dog would come in handy. So, the shop's just around the corner...let's go." Turning the corner, Edith walked through the door and looked about the room.

There were rats, gerbils, snakes, cats and owls. The redhead examined each opportunity with some thought; what animal would be the most useful?

A low growl caught her attention.

At the end of the building was a huge, scarred white dog was curled up in the corner, watching the passing witches and wizards with distrustful eyes.

"Oh, be a bit careful around him," The witch behind the desk warned. "He was taken from an abusive home, and he's wary of strangers."

"Who would abuse such a magnificent thing?" Edith asked with slightly exaggerated disbelief, giving Petunia a significant side-eye when she said so. "Can I look at him?"

The witch nodded slowly. "Just be careful, darling."

Edith walked over to the large white hound, ignoring her aunt's discomfort. Kneeling in front of the massive dog, she said, "Hey there. Aren't you beautiful?"

The dog straightened up a bit, ears flicking. He was wondering why this person was willing to put herself in some danger by bringing herself down to his height. Most of them glared down at him before they wound those accursed muzzles around his jaws. This one, however, sounded somewhat friendly.

Edith calmly raised her hand part of the way across the distance between them – close enough for the dog to sniff, but close enough for her to pull back of he snapped at her. The half wolf eyed her hand for a minute, golden eyes full of wariness, before cautiously giving it a sniff.

The girl smiled gently at him. "Don't worry. I know all about getting hit for no reason. I will never hit you. You can count on that."

The dog tilted his head to the right, his ears swivelling towards her at that. _A good sign._ Opening her hand, Edith began to pet him on the head. She felt the scars on both his damaged ears. It reminded her of the long scar across her shoulders and arm.

"What's your name?" She wondered. The dog grumbled and shook his head. "How does Tristan sound? I like that name. Do you?"

After a moment, the dog nuzzled her arm and got up when she did. The young girl smiled, while Petunia paled slightly.

The witch looked astonished; Edith smiled sweetly and said, "How much for him, miss?"

 **% &%&%&%&%&%&%&%&**

"Dogs aren't on the list of creatures allowed inside..."

"Yeah, well neither were parrots in our grade school; that didn't stop Dudley." Edith said dryly. "I have a plan in mind for that. Now, where's Gringotts?"

The building was hard to miss – it was ornate and very 1600s looking. Most of Diagon Alley looked like that, she had noticed. As she stepped inside, the second thing she noticed was that none of the tellers were human – they were goblins.

Edith had never seen goblins before. So she regarded the creatures not with disgust, but utter curiosity as she made her way over to the nearest teller. Petunia, by contrast, was distinctly uncomfortable and looked like she might run for the door any seconds.

"Hello, sir. I'd like to make a withdrawal." She had bought Tristan (who was outside to avoid upsetting anyone) with some extra galleons left behind by her mother a decade before.

The goblin blinked and looked down at her. "Key, please."

Petunia, hands trembling, handed over the key. Edith rolled her eyes slightly, and kept up with the goblin as he brought them to the cart.

She was brought down to her vault. There was _gold_ and _silver_ inside – it wasn't the trove from _The Count of Monte Cristo_ , but it was more than most usually saw in one place. She took a purse full of coins and left, thanking Griphook for his time.

She didn't know quite yet why the goblin looked pleasantly surprised at this; there was much reading she still had to do.

 _ ****~Some Time Later~****_

Edith went about getting the rest of her supplies in a methodical manner. The cauldrons, quills (quills? Really? Was this the dark ages? Had they not discovered pens yet?) and pointed hat (because nobody would associate _that_ with the Wizard of Oz and laugh themselves sick!), now all she had to get was her robes.

Tristan sat outside the window, looking annoyed at once again being left outside. Edith gave him a pat before stepping inside and speaking with the manager.

"Of course, dear – just stand on that chair over there; I'll be with you in a moment."

Edith nodded and stepped up onto the chair. On the chair next to her, already being fitted, was another girl her age. She had silver blonde hair, a pretty look to be sure, but it was slightly sullied by the harsh, adult-like expression of haughtiness on her face. The expression seemed slightly fixed, though Edith couldn't be sure.

"Hello," The girl said graciously.

"Hello," Edith echoed, brushing her hair away from her face.

"Are you going to Hogwarts too?" The girl asked. When Edith nodded, she said, "What house will you be in? I'm planning for Slytherin."

Edith shrugged. "I hadn't given it much thought, to be honest." She tossed the other girl a friendly look before adding, "Though I admit, I believe Slytherin would suit me as well."

The girl grinned brightly. "I know. There's no other place to be; if I were in Hufflepuff, I would leave, wouldn't you?"

Edith's brow furrowed slightly. "Why?"

The girl blinked, and she closed her eyes like she'd never thought of the answer before. "My dad says Hufflepuff is the place for canon fodder and people who don't care to make anything off themselves."

"They can't all be like that," Edith said simply. "Every one person makes different choices at some point in their lives. Nobodies have abruptly turned into heroes or monsters at a moments notice...and sometimes they get away with it, because no one thinks they're capable of it."

She looked into the other girl's eyes. The idea she had just dangled before her hadn't taken hold immediately – she wouldn't have expected it to. But the seed of doubt and confusion was there to stay. Matt had the same look in his eyes the first time she invited him for lunch at school.

 _I'm getting better, for her to not dismiss it immediately_.

"I'm Dancia Malfoy," The silver haired girl said, offering Edith her hand.

The redhead took it and nodded. "I'm Edith." She said. "Edith Potter."

Dancia's eyes widened. "You're the Girl Who Lived?"

Edith shrugged. "Am I? That didn't mean anything to me until a few days ago. Usually when I thought of it, it meant the day my parents were murdered by a blood purist lunatic." She mind drifted to the nightmare of the killing curse.

Dancia seemed to loose a little certainty at that. "Ah...it was that too." She said uncertainly. "It was a terrible tragedy..."

"That everyone celebrates." Edith noted, turning her head toward the window. Tristan had put his paws up on the windowsill, still keeping an eye on her.

Clearly seeking a change in conversation, Dancia gestured towards him. "My, is that big ball of white fluff yours? I think he's glaring at me."

"That's Tristan. He's still a bit suspicious." Edith said, smiling a bit. "He is a guard dog, after all."

"My parents bought me an owl. It's an exotic breed." Dancia said proudly. _She's a rich girl,_ Edith noted. "Not quite a guard dog, but my father thought I wouldn't require one. Given my family name."

"Of course." Edith said genially. "Though it might be wise to remember there are some people in the world desperate enough to not care. The streets are full of them if you know where to look."

Dancia's nose wrinkled. "In the _muggle_ world, maybe. The wizard world is far more advanced than that. You'll see soon; don't worry."

 _In your opinion_ , Edith thought wryly, but she didn't say it out loud. _A rich girl would have the luxury of naivety, of innocence. Mostly naivety, I think. I'd be envious, if I hadn't discarded such emotions a long time ago._

"You're all done, darling." Madamn Malkin said, handing Edith her robes.

The redhead thanked her and gave Dancia a friendly smile. "I'll see you at Hogwarts, Dancia." She waved and walked out the door.

Tristan barked and ran along side her. Edith laughed and stroked his head, snapping her fingers and waving to summon Petunia from the newspaper stand where she was hovering. "One last place; the book store." She said.

 *** _*~The Book Store~**_**

Edith walked into the store, once again leaving Petunia to be menaced by Tristan while she got what she needed. She stepped around the young kids shouting in excitement about going to Hogwarts and their long suffering parents. Hanging her bag over her shoulder, she walked further into the building to find her necessary books.

"Let's see...Beginner's charms, first year potions, muggle history," (she chuckled slightly at that) "beginner's transfiguration..." She pulled the books down, carefully balancing them on her arm. "Hmm, that's for the first year...should I buy more? Getting all the learning material I can would be wise."

She eyeballed the charms and transfiguration books. With a quick look at her purse – yes, she could afford it – she grabbed the second and third year text books as well. Stuffing them into her bag, she started to move towards the counter when she accidentally hit someone with her shoulder.

"Ah! I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." Blinking, Edith took in her accidental assailant. She was another girl her age, with curly brown hair and brown eyes and slightly oversized front teeth. She was holding a huge armload of textbooks.

"Oh, it's no trouble." Edith said. Kneeling down, she picked up the book that had slid out of the other girl's arms and handed it over to her. "These things aren't easy to juggle, huh?"

The other girl smiled in relief. "Yes, thank you. I'm Hermione Granger."

"I'm Edith." She didn't mention her last name; she really didn't want to have another 'bloody hyphenated titles' conversation. "Are you going to Hogwarts?"

"Yes! I hope these books cover everything, I want to be able to leave the bus swinging. After all I'm a muggle born, so I'll have a lot to prove, right?"

"...Quite possible." Edith hadn't thought of that. "I think you'll be alright." Lightly shrugging her also sizable weight in her arms, "It better be, considering how heavy this is!"

Hermione laughed in response, and the two of them left the store together.

Tristan barked and left Petunia, who had scrambled into a nearby alley to avoid the dog. Edith petted him on the head and waved goodbye to her new friend, though not before suggesting they try to meet up on the platform.

"Now, do you have everything?" Petunia asked petulantly. Edith gave her a look of annoyance before nodding.

"Yes. Let's go."

 ****~ _In the Evening~**_**

"AHHH!"

 _Rouh! Rouh!_

Tristan growled and snapped at Dudley, driving him away from Edith's room. The young girl chuckled and offered him some treats, which he licked out of her hand.

Dinner had been vaguely amusing affair. Vernon had been furious to see all the 'freakish' stuff his niece was bringing into his house. Dudley had been furious to see Edith with new toys when he hadn't gotten twice as many on the same day. Petunia was just humiliated by the way her niece had kicked her around while getting her school stuff.

Edith had ignored all three of them to eat; she was planning to spend the evening studying. It was one of the few times she actually looked forward to work like that. She had a lot to learn.

Her wand was a willow and dragon heartstring, warm to the touch. Ollivander had said it was the 'sister wand' to the one that had given her the lightning bolt scar on her forehead. What were the chances of that being a coincidence?

She wasn't that lucky.

Opening one of her text books, Edith flopped down on the bed, turning on the overhead lamp light and started reading.

" _Charms for beginners; levitation and motion..._ " Edith started, leaning against the headboard and winding one leg over her knee. Tristan jumped onto the bed next to her and pushed his head under her shoulder. The girl smiled and petted him before returning her attention to her textbook.

" _The wrist movement is important, the wand is a channel for your magic...wandless charms won't be taught until six and seventh year..._ " Edith would continue reading well into the night. "Six and seventh year? Hah. I think I'd rather start sooner than that...maybe not now, but soon."

 **End Chapter**

 _ **A fast update? Yes. I had a stream-of-consciousness writing for this story - I have another chapter waiting in the wings; depending on the response I get I may post it quickly as well.**_

 _ **Read and Review please! Especially Review!**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Cult of Potter**

 _ **Wanda: Oh stream of consciousness, how I love you! It's so much better then when I have to struggle to get three thousand words out. Anyway, here's the next chapter my lovely readers - I wanted to emphathize both sides of Edith in it, and I hope I succeeded. Standard disclaimer applies, I don't own Harry Potter (an eighth book? After all this time? Oh Rowling, you are so cool!)**_

 **Chapter 3: On the Way**

A week later, Edith woke early and asked her aunt and uncle to drive her to the station.

Vernon thought he was being very clever when he abandoned her at there, saying that there was only a platform nine and ten. Another sign of his small mind; obviously it wouldn't be out in the open.

So instead Edith walked over to the entrance to platform nine and waited for a little while. Sure enough, she wasn't there for long before Hermione and her parents showed up. She smiled and waved the other girl over.

"Edith! It's nice to see you again," Hermione said, her eyes gleaming. It was the look of a person who hadn't really had a friend before. Edith felt sympathetic; she probably expected to have been stood up or forgotten about. _Well, I'm not going to be -that- person._

Edith smiled and shook her hand, before curtsying to her parents. "Hello, Mr and Mrs Granger. I'm Edith; I'll be in Hermione's year at Hogwarts."

The woman looked a bit surprised by the polite gesture. She had to deal with freaked out, shrieking kids constantly, many of whom called her a devil or a sadist while she tried to clean up their teeth – it could colour a person's judgement. "Hello Edith. I'm Emily, and this is Jared. You're our daughter's new friend?"

"Yes," Edith confirmed. Sure enough, Hermione's eyes brightened. "I'm not entirely sure where the platform was, so I was hoping you could help me."

"No problem." Jared said; he looked a bit uncomfortable on the platform. Edith smiled and kept up as the family of dentists walked into the platform. A bit of walking brought them halfway across the train lines, where a family of redheads were disappearing into the walls.

"That is uncanny," Emily Granger remarked, looking slightly pale. "I guess this is as far as we can go." She gave Hermione a huge hug.

Edith felt a twinge of emotion that she tolerated, but tried to suppress – jealousy. Wanting to turn her attention elsewhere, she decided to try the entrance first.

Pulling Tristan's lead a bit closer, she took her cart and rushed through the wall. Instead of crashing against brick and falling over, she found herself on a gleaming, separate area filled with owls, people in school robes, and flying toys. The redhead looked up to see the sign, "Platform 9 3/4".

The platform was swamped with wizards and witches. Nearby, the family of redheads was bunched together. The smallest kid – a girl – was crying, her older brothers attempting to comfort them and promised to send her letters often. A pair of twins broke off to join a dark skinned kid holding a box with a tarantula.

She saw Dancia Malfoy in the distance, chaperoned by two aristocratic looking adults who must be her parents. The girl was trying to suppress her excitement, looking to the father for instructions.

"Wow," Hermione gushed, coming up next to her. Edith nodded, somewhat in awe herself. The twosome stood there for a minute, taking in the sights. Once the initial shock had worn off, Edith walked towards the train and stepped on board.

After a moment, Hermione stopped to help a young boy who's toad had gone missing. Edith debated going to help her, but the crowd was putting her dog's nerves on edge so she kept going. They'd meet up again later.

Tristan pressed against her left leg, ears lying flat against his head as they made their way past the filled up compartment to find a place to sit. Edith glanced ahead, about halfway down the train, and frowned.

"Get out of the _way,_ mudblood. I was here first, so kindly vacate that seat for me."

"Y-You can't call me that...! It's _rude._ "

A young girl was being menaced by a boy already in his school robes. Given she was wearing a hoodie and jeans, she was probably a muggleborn. She had heather brown hair, pale skin and blue eyes; she was obviously nervous but had decided to stand her ground.

"Why not? It reminds you of your place in this world. Now _move_!" The boy shoved her, sending her into the wall.

Edith's eyes narrowed, and she calmly strode forward and tapped the boy on the shoulder. "Is that supposed to come off as intimidating? Because it mostly seems petulant."

The boy spun around and glared at her, "Mind your own business mud..."

Tristan snarled at him, hackles raised. The boy stumbled backwards, looking at the massive white hound in alarm. "What the hell?! That isn't on the pet list!"

"He's my guard dog." Edith responded simply, resting a hand on Tristan's back to keep him from charging. That wouldn't be a good way to start off her first year. "My guardians refused to let me attend without him. I'm beginning to see why, too...of course, you look just like my cousin. Whiny and lacking in spine. Now run along."

She lightly shoved past him and into the compartment, ignoring the boy further as if he were a bug on the ground. On the way, she took the girl by the hand and pulled her back in, before shutting the door on the boy's white, furious face.

The girl took a deep breath, let it out and smiled nervously. "Thank you."

"It was no trouble." Edith threw the boy a disdainful look as he hovered outside the door, trying to figure out if salvaging his pride was worth risking Tristan's wrath. "I've had to deal with little twits like that before. I'm Edith."

"Sally Anne." The girl answered, looking relieved. "Nice to meet you. Are you new to this world too?"

"Yes. I mean, my parents were wizards, but they died when I was little. I was raised by my very non magical relatives." Edith said by way of explanation. It wasn't a lie, but it was simpler than the truth.

"Oh," Sally Anne frowned. "I'm sorry about your parents."

"It's okay. I've come to terms with it." _Once I knew the truth_. "So, no magic in your family? This is all new ground?"

Sally Anne nodded, her expression brightening up. "Yeah; I've always been so different from the rest of my peers and I never understood why until a year ago. When I got my wand, I felt like there was a place in the world for me, it was the best feeling ever." She shot a quick look over at the doorway, before deflating slightly. "Though I suppose it wasn't going to be perfect."

"There are always people like him." Edith said. "Once you learn how to deal with them, they loose their power." Giving the girl a warm, friendly look, she went on, "for starters, you have to make them believe they can't intimidate you. You're at a good start in that respect."

Sally bit her lip. "But he wasn't going away."

"They're thick headed. It'll take more than that, but that's where you should start." _I would recommend throwing him against an iron bar and giving him a mild concussion, but I don't want to scare you off._ "People like us should stick together."

Sally looked hopefully at her. "Friends?"

Edith offered her hand. "Friends," She agreed. Sally beamed and shook on it. She didn't suspect Edith's ulterior motives, empathetic though they were.

Edith missed the gang she ran with back at home, and the power it afforded her. So she was planning to start a new one, in her new home, to keep herself safe and achieve her plans for the world.

Now that she was among other people like herself, she finally had the ability to create the better world she had dreamed of all those lonely nights in the rain. She could be a Queen, and forge her kingdom.

And what a better place to start, than a diseased and damaged country with fractured leadership?

"How much have you read ahead so far?" Edith asked, motioning for Tristan to jump up next to her. The giant dog put his head in her lap, purring slightly.

"Just a bit, mostly last night – I was so excited I couldn't sleep." Sally said.

Edith smiled slightly. "Understandable."

There was a knock on the door, interrupting their conversation. The two girls looked up to see another young boy – different from the last one – standing in the door way, looking calm but somewhat self conscious. "Hello. Is there space still here? Everywhere else is full."

Edith examined him for a moment before saying, "Sure," gesturing to the seat next to Sally. The boy sat down, eyeing Tristan with some trepidation.

"He's huge. Is that a husky?"

"Husky and greyhound, actually. He's a cross breed." Edith said fondly, as Tristan thumped his tail against the wall. "My guard dog, Tristan. Isn't he magnificent?"

"Can I pet him?" The boy asked.

"Hmm...okay, but make sure he can see your hand. He's a bit temperamental." The boy nodded slowly in response before standing up and offering Tristan his hand. The hound sniffed it for a moment before grunting and consenting to being petted.

"I'm Blaise Zabini." The boy said, offering his hand.

"I'm Edith, and that's Sally." Edith shook, and Blaise sat back down next to Sally. "Tristan seems to like you; you must be something special."

Blaise shook his head. "Hardly." His eyes became slightly distant at that; Edith filed that reaction away in her memory for further investigation. "I guess I'm just good with animals. We have a couple back at home, including a hawk."

"Really? Wow, your parents are cool," Sally gushed.

Edith didn't miss Blaise blinking and wincing ever so slightly. "Yeah. They really are; mom in particular. She's a talented senator."

"Some people get all the luck." Edith said. When Blaise looked questioningly at her, she grumbled, "My uncle deals in drills. That's exactly as boring as it sounds."

Her two new acquisitions both laughed at the joke, which she took as a sign of success.

The door slid open again, revealing Hermione and another, chubby looking boy her age. "Hey Edith, hello," she waved to the other children in the compartment before gesturing to her friend, "this is Neville, he's looking for his toad – have any of you seen one?"

Sally's brow furrowed and she shook her head, frowning apologetically. Blaise, on the other hand, snapped his fingers. "I think I saw a toad a few minutes ago. What's his name?"

"Trevor." Neville said sadly.

Blaise pulled out his wand and said, "Watch this. Accio Trevor the Toad!" A second later, a toad came whizzing through the air and smacked poor Neville in the chest. The boy yelped and managed to grab onto his pet before it could make another leap for freedom. "Simple summoning charm, extremely useful."

Edith already knew the spell, but she hadn't seen it in action yet. Blaise was right, that had the potential to be _very_ useful. And so did he.

"Trevor!" Neville said happily. "Thank you!"

 _ ****~Later~****_

The train finally reached Hogwarts and everyone disembarked. Edith ran into a giant of a man – literally – named Hagrid, who was leading the first years into the building. Lucky for her, Hagrid was a big fan of animals, particularly the scary ones, and he took an immediate shine to Tristan. He offered to get him to her dorm for her since pets weren't allowed in the Great Hall aside from mail owls.

Hagrid lead them over to boats. Blaise and Neville ended up on a separate one with two others boys, Dean something or other and one of the redheads from the platform.

So Edith, Sally and Hermione stepped into a boat, and were joined by another girl with reddish brown hair, glasses and green eyes.

"Is there room for one more?" When Hermione nodded and welcomed her on, the girl said, "I'm Susan Bones; nice to meet you all."

"Edith." "Hermione." "Sally."

The boats moved off on their own accord, causing Edith to chuckle. As much control as she exerted over her emotions, the sheer miracle of magic was enough to overwhelm it in moments like this.

"It looks amazing." Susan said, similarly awestruck.

"It's like if Disneyland was made by witches and wizards." Sally remarked, causing Hermione to giggle a bit. Edith smiled and said nothing.

"What house do you think you'll be in?" Susan asked the group.

"Slytherin, probably." Edith said with a shrug. "It suits my personality."

Hermione rocked on her heels, "I don't know...maybe Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. I want to say Ravenclaw, though, because I've always been a huge reader."

"I think Hufflepuff," Sally said quietly. "I come from a really big family, so togetherness and close bonds of trust or friendship are always going to be important to me."

"I'm aiming for Hufflepuff too." Susan said. "That house is always underestimated. People look at them, see 'friendship and bonds' and laugh, thinking of greeting cards and storytime for young children. They don't see the importance of it."

"Only fools don't see the power of Hufflepuff." Edith said shortly. "They think power, respect and legacy can be achieved alone, but no one can claim that without support. Even that hag Voldemort needed an army in order to attempt a takeover..." Realizing that all the girls were staring at her she asked, "What?"

"You said his name!" Susan said in awe. "My aunt is the only person I know who's ever said his name. Everyone calls him You-Know-Who."

"Of course I did." Edith said, eyes narrowing. "What could that dead hag possibly do to me that he didn't already do on that Halloween night?"

For a moment, none of the girls said anything, before Sally tentatively piped up, "That Halloween night...? Wait...you're Edith _Potter_?"

Edith sighed and leaned back against the side of the boat. "I didn't want to bring it up, be surrounded by all that celebrity crap, but yes, I am. A walk down Diagon Alley made it clear I couldn't hide from it, even if I wanted to. I wanted _real_ friends, not toadies who were only interested in me because I'm famous."

 _Those people are always the first to jump ship. You can't rely on people like that._

"We're real friends," Hermione protested, looking slightly hurt.

Edith tilted her head in her direction, lips twitching. "I know that now. I just wanted to be sure."

 _I wanted to see what you were made of. It looks like I guessed right. Good. That puts me up to six friends._

The boats had arrived at the shore.

Edith stepped out first before offering Hermione her hand, to assure the brunette that she had her trust. The four of them slipped into the crowd as a stern looking woman in an emerald robe came out to greet them.

Professor McGonagall was their transfiguration teacher, and she brought them into Hogwarts itself, where candles floated in mid air and ghosts swept overhead. Sally shrieked when she saw her first ghost; they flew overhead, yammering about houses and headless hunts as they went on their way. "I wonder if they were waiting in the wings just for when the first years came in," She remarked.

"Seems likely," Susan said. "Ghosts make for a good 'wow' factor."

In the Great Hall, all the second – to – seventh year students were already seated at the four separate tables. It was a big place, and there were a lot of kids there; it _was_ considered the premiere school for learning magic after all. The red lion flag of Gryffindor, the yellow badger flag of Hufflepuff, the green snake flag of Slytherin, and the blue raven flag of Ravenclaw hung from the ceilings not far from the millions of floating candles (apparently wizards weren't familiar with fire hazards) and the tables were loaded with all kinds of delicious looking food. The ceiling was enchanted to be a star filled sky, and a gentle breeze seemed to fill the room.

At the front of the hall was the staff table and all their teachers for the year. At the head was an old man who could only be Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster.

Professor McGonagall lead the first year group up to the front of the hall, where a chair and a tattered old hat were sitting. She raised up the hat, pulled out her class list and called out, "Abbott, Hannah!"

A young girl with dyed blonde hair squared her shoulders and walked up to the seat. The hat, once placed on her head, became animated and had a mouth. After a second of silence, it bellowed, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

The yellow table cheered as Hannah, grinning with relief, hopped off the seat and scampered over to join them. _So that's how that works_ , Edith thought. _I wonder why people bother to spread rumours about trolls when everyone should remember this._

"Bones, Susan!"

Susan gave her friends a smile, "Wish me luck!", before hurrying up to the hat.

Once again, it became animated when placed on her head. "Well well well, what have we here? Another Bones. I remember sorting your aunt when she came here as a child. Hmm, a cunning mind, very brilliant, could be suited to Slytherin...but with that kind of loyalty, there's only one place for you! HUFFLEPUFF!"

Edith clapped for Susan as she ran over to the yellow table; Hannah slid over and offered her a place to sit. Susan beamed and took her place, waving at her friends from it.

The list went on for a little, with a couple of girls going to Gryffindor and Slytherin (Lavander Brown and the Carrow twins, to name a few) before the it was Hermione's turn.

Walking up to the hat, Hermione cast Edith a hopeful smile as the hat began its work. "Hmm, tricky, tricky...a brilliant mind, photographic even...a desire to change the world, quite ambitious of you... courage, yes, to stand up for what you believe in...I think you'll do well in RAVENCLAW!"

The blue house cheered this time; Hermione was given a seat between two darker skinned girls who welcomed her with a smiles and introductions.

"Longbottom, Neville!"

"You'll be fine, where ever you go, if you stand tall." Edith hissed at him as the nervous boy froze in place. Neville gave her a grateful look and finally went up to the hat.

The hat deliberated for a few moments before shouting, "GRYFFINDOR!" The house of red erupted into cheers, Neville looked stunned and nearly ran over to them with the hat still on his head, just stopping in time to hand it over to Brocklehurst, Mandy.

After that girl went into Ravenclaw, it was time for another familiar face...

"Malfoy, Dancia!"

The silver haired girl made her way to the seat, though not before catching Edith's eye. The girl who lived to despite her hyphenated title waved slightly, earning a hesitant grin from the usually stoic Malfoy heiress before the hat was placed on her.

"Hm?! Another Malfoy? I know just what to do with you! SLYTHERIN!"

The green house exploded with cheers. Dancia looked relieved as she made her way to the house of snakes, trying to look as dignified as possible for an eleven year old.

After 'Jones, Megan' was sorted into Hufflepuff, it was Sally's turn.

"Perks, Sally Anne!"

Sally took a deep breath before going up to the hat. She sat down and the hat looked contemplative. "Hm, you feel like you have much to prove to the world. There's no better place to start than in HUFFLEPUFF!"

Sally was happy since she would be able to stay with one of her friends, Susan, so she ran down to join the yellow table where Susan had made herself comfortable.

But now it was time for the real show...

"Potter, Edith!"

The room became very, very quiet. Edith resisted the urge to roll her eyes and say a number of words she'd learned from Duncan's mother. They were in awe of her because they still had the luxury of living parents? As if her life was something _desirable_. Hah!

As she walked up to the chair and the hat, she was aware of two people watching her at the staff table. The first of whom was the Headmaster, the other the Head of Slytherin, Severus Snape. Both were looking at her, eyes narrowed as if they were invested in what happened next.

Sitting down, Edith shuddered slightly as the hat was placed on her head. The feeling it gave her was ugly and intrusive.

"Hm, Potter...what am I to do with you? My instinct is to put you in Gryffindor, but with a history like that..."

Edith gripped the chair until her knuckles turned white. " _Spill any of that in public, and I will personally put you through a paper shredder,_ " She hissed.

Her story, her scars, her suffering were no one's business; especially not these people who were already treating her like a circus freakshow.

Lucky for her, the hat registered her threat and cleared its throat...somehow, how that was possible for a hat wasn't something she wanted to think too hard on. "Let's see...a good, strong mind, sharp, cunning and ambitious...yes, there is much ambition here, I know now where you need to go. SLYTHERIN!"

Edith did register the moments of stunned silence after this pronouncement, though it was quickly broken by Hermione, Susan, Sally, Neville and Blaise all breaking into clapping and cheering. Her heart was unexpectedly warmed by that.

This broke the ice and the green table burst into cheers, with some of the younger kids shouting that "we've got Potter!" while some of the older children just looked surprised or befuddled.

No one looked more stunned than the Head himself. Edith felt him watching her as she stepped across to his table and sat down next to Dancia, the only person she was familiar with.

"Nice to see you again, Malfoy." Edith said as she took the glass nearest to her and started drinking. At first, the taste nearly made her gag – was that _pumpkin_? - but after three gulps she got past it. It seemed to be the only drink around here, after all.

"You too, Edith – to think of it! Edith Potter in Slytherin! My mother's going to have a field day." Dancia said brightly.

 _Why do I have a sense there's some history I'm missing? I could have guessed that Petunia wouldn't have had_ all _the information I would need, but now I have a sense I haven't been told something rather important..._

"Weasley, Ron!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Zabini, Blaise!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

Blaise made his way over to her and gestured to the seats; Edith moved over so he could sit on her other side. "Fancy finding you here, Edith." He said jokingly. "A Potter in Slytherin? This is going to make headlines."

"Oh, god save me," Edith groaned, hitting her head against the palms of her hand. "Headlines? _Really!?_ Is it that slow a news month? Are the newspapers really that desperate?!"

"Well no one expected it! Especially with both your parents being in Gryffindor, and Houses often run in families, especially old ones like the Blacks." Dancia explained.

"Uughhh...Merlin and Morgana, give me strength..." Edith muttered.

"Take it easy, Edith." Blaise said comfortingly. "What I meant by 'headlines' was mostly 'a couple of bored tabloids trying to stir up controversy'. I'm sure some...friendly people will defend your choice to go into whatever house you want."

His mother usually used the world 'opportunistic' because it could go either way. _Sometimes, being Dark is necessary_.

Edith nodded in thanks – mentally upgrading him from 'acquaintance' to 'companion' along the way – as a shaken Dumbledore got up and began his traditional beginning-of-the-year speech.

After mentioning that the third floor was off limits to anyone who didn't wish to die (what the hell was that about?) he officially let dinner start.

 _ ****~Later~****_

About an hour or so later, Edith was following Dancia and Blaise down into the Slytherin common room. It was quite beautiful, actually, especially for a place where children would be staying. It was a sophisticated room straight out of a nineteenth century mansion, with three fire places and several bookshelves. There was even a moving portrait of one of the former headmasters there, though he wasn't always present.

Tristan, who had been sitting on the carpet in front of one fireplace looking pissed off, guardian her luggage, barked in approval when Edith hurried over to him and gave him a hug.

Now the dorms weren't co-ed, so Edith bid Blaise a good night while she and Dancia went to select their rooms. In the four room dorm, her two other bunkmates were blonde, green eyed Daphne Greengrass and red haired, silver eyed Tracey Davis.

Tracey was only tentatively friendly – sort of a female, magical version of Duncan from Little Whining. Daphne was polite and amicable.

Yes. This would be a good place to start.

Edith was partway done unpacking – quickly stowing her tazer away in her belt when her dormmates were distracted – when Pansy Parkinson, a narrow faced girl with a bad attitude, stormed in and snapped, "Potter, the Headmaster wants to speak with you."

Tristan let out a low growl, and when Edith slowly got up and headed down he went with her, baring his teeth at Pansy as he went.

Stepping outside the Slytherin common room, Edith found herself facing both her Head of House and the Headmaster.

"You asked for me, sir? Am I in trouble?" Edith asked in a neutral voice.

"No, nothing of that nature my dear girl," The headmaster said, his words making her skin crawl. She hated being called _girl_ , it reminded her of Uncle Vernon. "I was simply wondering why you were in Slytherin."

"It...was the hat's decision, sir, he noticed my aptitude and matched it." Edith said, eyes narrowing. She was unsure of what the Headmaster was getting at, but she didn't like his tone.

"But dear, both your parents were in Gryffindor. Surely the hat meant to put you there...why ask for Slytherin?"

"I didn't _ask,_ that's what his decision was. And as much as I respect the memory of my parents, why do I have to be in Gryffindor because they were? I'm not a clone, I'm likely _quite_ different from them." Edith said, her annoyance growing.

Meanwhile, Severus Snape was giving her a strange look. He'd been staring at her ever since dinner. It was driving Edith nuts.

"Please don't look at me like that, Professor Snape, it's making me very uncomfortable," She snapped, pressing closer to Tristan. This caused Dumbledore's eyes to fall on him.

"What a lovely animal...but dear girl, it's written that a cat, road or owl are the only criteria for a familiar-"

"My aunt insisted," Edith lied, resisting the urge to smirk. "This is the world her sister, my mother, died in, and she's never trusted it since. I had to...argue at length, with her, to convince her to let me go, but she wouldn't allow it if I didn't have some protection. Tristan isn't just a pet, he's a guard dog."

Tristan growled to emphasize this.

Dumbledore's expression faltered; he hadn't any better comeback for the story so he let it drop or else he'd come across as suspicious. "Miss Potter, are you sure – we can still transfer you to Gryffindor, the lesson plans haven't been finalized yet-"

Edith scowled. She didn't like the Headmaster's manipulative attitude or interest in her. "No, sir, I'm quite comfortable where I am, and I'd rather not cause a ruckus by forcing a change _after_ the initial sorting was done."

"But-"

"Headmaster, miss Potter seems to be comfortable in my house. Since your fears have proven _unfounded,_ perhaps we can let her get some rest for tomorrow?" Professor Snape said finally, a slight sneer in his voice.

 _Congratulations, you've graduated from 'creepy' to 'tolerable'. Let's see how long that lasts._

 **End Chapter**

 _ **Of course, a Potter in Slytherin is not exactly going to be smooth sailing, but that is hardly news to Edith. Next time covers some of the first classes, which sounds boring but a lot more character emphasis will be added.**_

 _ **Please read and Review! Reviews are like chocolate, but twice as addicting...**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Cult Potter**

 _ **Again, somewhat of a bridging chapter, but there's some important character context in here. I'm updating quickly because I'm on March Break, and why not take advantage of such lovely times? Anyhow, standard disclaimer, do not own, said so in the first chapter.**_

 **Chapter 4: First Days**

Edith woke slowly; the green-shrouded four poster bed was slightly less comfortable then the queen sized mattress in the former 'guest bedroom' back at Number 4, but it would do just fine. She had slept very well, despite (or perhaps because of) the long day she had experienced yesterday.

Tristan barked in approval; he was the alarm clock for this dorm.

Tracey was already awake and dressed, reading from her Ancient Runes textbook. Edith examined her for a moment before deciding to attempt a conversation.

"Good morning, Tracey." Edith said.

Tracey looked up from her book and smiled shyly. "Morning, Edith."

"Is that Ancient Runes?" Edith asked, walking over to join her dorm mate. "I thought that course didn't start until Third Year."

"It doesn't. It's just...Ancient Runes is my passion. I've been interested in it ever since I was a little girl." Tracey explained uncertainly. She waited to be called a nerd, bookcase or worse, but Edith showed nothing but curiosity.

"Really? Tell me more, please – I'm interested."

Tracey's nerves were replaced with excitement at this. It was like a switch was flipped; the once quiet and shy girl began showering Edith with information as their other dorm mates woke up.

By the time the two girls had walked into Transfiguration, their first class for the day, Tracey had left Edith's head spinning with lore and various runes specific to dying languages like Latin or Gaelic, and their complex relationship with modern magic.

Daphne finally decided to rescue her when they were taking their seats. "Ease up a bit, Trace – I think Edith's starting to go cross eyed." She said teasingly.

Edith shrugged and chuckled nervously, trying to hide how overwhelmed she was. "I did ask," She admitted.

"Sorry," Tracey said, embarrassed. "I've been reading on it for so long I forget how complicated it is for most people to understand at first."

"I'm not surprised." Edith responded. "How many people our age are patient enough to try and digest those kinds of concepts?"

Daphne snorted like she was trying to avoid laughing. Edith smiled a bit herself. If Tracey had tried to explain Runes to Dudley, his head probably would have imploded. Either way, the three settled down in their seats while Professor McGonagall entered the room.

The lesson for that day was turning a matchstick into a needle. It was more difficult then it sounded; it took Edith some time to get it right – but she was the first gain a fully transformed needle by half time.

Neville, meanwhile, was struggling. Edith noticed some of the other Gryffindors, like Seamus Finnigen, snickering as sparks from the ancient wand he was using roughly threw Neville back against his seat.

Feeling a sharp spike of annoyance, Edith muttered to Tracey, "I'll be back in a moment," before getting up and walking over to Neville.

"Neville, what's wrong with your wand?"

Neville's head jerked up when he heard her voice. Edith leaned against the side of his desk, giving him a concerned look. "The only wands I've seen act like that were the rejects I had to go through in Ollivander's shop. If your wand chose you, it should be more co operative."

The boy flushed and muttered, "Not mine. Is my dads."

"Mmm." Edith knew a bit about Frank Longbottom from going through old copies of the Daily Prophet; enough to know he had been regarded as a hero in his own right back in the day. "I think that might be your problem."

She flicked her willow, dragon-core wand and offered it to him by the handle. "Here; try using mine."

Neville looked at her with a little awe, before tentatively accepting. He pointed the new wand at the matchstick, and lo and behold, several minutes later he had shakily transfigured the matchstick.

A couple Gryffindors cheered, while others just looked stunned. The Slytherins looked like they didn't quite understand what Edith was up to – helping a Gryffindor?

Edith just smiled and took her wand back. "I think you should write to your grandmother, Neville. That wand clearly doesn't agree with you."

"Thanks, Edith."

"Good inter class cooperation, miss Potter. Five points to Slytherin," McGonagall pronounced. There was a scattering of clapping across the room at this.

 _ ****~Later~****_

"So potions class is next for you?"

"Yes, unfortunately. Professor Snape creeps me out. Have you noticed how he just _stares_ at you?"

Edith, Sally and Susan were making their way down the hall. It was just after lunch, and there was a small grace period where students of all four houses could hang out and chat before the end of classes in the evening. Sally and Susan had Charms next, while Edith had potions.

"I did," Susan noted, shivering a bit. "I've heard that he treats everyone outside of Slytherin like dirt. The older Hufflepuffs say that he's cold and bad tempered."

"Well, somebody has to be the Stern teacher here." Edith muttered. "The others are so bent on 'wow, isn't magic _whimsical?_ ' If the classes keep going like that, I might develop asthma from gagging so much."

Sally snickered at that. "So true. I mean, magic _is_ cool, but you think they'd be a bit more academic about it. Makes Professor Snape's class seem a bit refreshing."

The three girls had just entered the dungeon when Sally came to a sudden stop. Edith gave her a questioning look before following her gaze down the hallway. A vaguely familiar looking boy was unmistakably headed their way; behind him were a pair of gorilla-looking boys who were acting like bodyguards.

"That's him," Sally growled. "That twit from the train."

"What happened?" Susan asked, having no context for that remark.

"He called me a mudblood." Sally explained. Susan hissed something Edith didn't understand but assumed wasn't very polite.

When the boy got up close, Edith finally put a name to him – this was Theodore Nott, one of the boys in her year. The two behind him, were, what...Crabbe and Goyle? Something like that. It made sense – the boys seemed too dumb to be anything but attack dogs, when actual dogs would do that job better.

Her hand went to her belt; her fingers twitched between her dog whistle and her tazer. The latter was supposed to be for extreme circumstances, and they were pretty evenly matched here...but it would certainly make a statement. What to do...

"Potter," Nott spat as he stopped in front of them.

"What do you want, Nott?" Edith asked, hand still on her belt. "I'm on my way to Potions class now; if there's something you want to discuss..."

"Why would the hat let a blood traitor like you into our noble house?" Nott demanded. "You. Daughter of a blood traitor and a mudblood, who spat in the face of everything this country was built on?"

Edith's hand tightened on her tazer; any neutral feelings she had towards the boy evaporated at the insult towards her parents. She couldn't attack him unprovoked...but she couldn't have grown up at the Dursleys without learning a thing or two about that.

"Perhaps its because he thought the last generation of Slytherins were so pitiful that he would do _anything_ to restore the house's pride? Even letting in _filthy muggleborns_?" Edith suggested cattily.

She knew she had hit a nerve when Nott's eyes widened in rage. "After all, the _greatest_ wizard to come out of Slytherin died at the hands of a _pathetic, half blood child_ and her _mudblood_ mother. That's so pathetic it's amusing. And then all his followers, who blindly believed he was invincible, were forced to cower behind excuses of mind control and forced alliances to keep their places in society. It's almost kind of _tragic_."

Sally caught on and took it up from there. "No _kidding_. I mean, that's just _embarrassing –_ greatest wizard in our time, and he died because of a baby who wasn't even old enough to walk, let alone hold a wand! No offence, Edith-"

"None taken." Edith waved it off, smirking at Nott. "It's true, after all."

"Watch your tongue, Potter," Nott seethed, "Or somebody might finish what the Dark Lord started – putting your filthy kind in their place."

"Oh, I'm so scared," Edith said mockingly, using a little girl voice. "the grandson of a toady of the Dark Lord I killed as a toddler is threatening me, whatever will I do?"

Nott pulled his wand out. Perfect.

Edith ducked, the hex going above her head. She ran straight into Nott, put her tazer on the lowest setting, and rammed it into his gut. Nott screamed, eyes wide as dinner plates as he collapsed on the ground. Crabbe and Goyle, thugs that they were, tried to go next. Edith took them down with one hit each.

The three lay on the ground in a heap. Nott was still conscious, so Edith stepped to his side and glared down at him.

"Let's get one thing straight, Nott. This is how things will go. You can try to hit me, but do so and I will hit back. Stay away from my companions, because they are under my protection. If you hurt them, I will hurt you. Keep that in mind."

with that, Edith holstered her tazer and turned back towards Sally and Susan. Sally looked slightly worshipful, while Susan looked amazed.

"You two better get to class. I'll see you later this evening in the library, okay?"

"Sure thing, Edith."

The two girls turned to go, but before she could leave Sally turned and, darted forward and hugged Edith around the middle.

The redhaired girl froze up, stunned, her mind temporarily going dead. She had never been hugged before, and she could feel warmth and trust radiating from the shorter girl completely without fear or direction.

"Thank you, Edith. You're the best...I've got your back too, okay?" Sally promised. Edith only managed a nod in response, at which point Sally let go and ran back to join Susan. The two waved before disappearing up the stairs.

Edith stayed where she was, placing one hand on her rapidly beating heart. After a long moment, she turned and hurried towards her next class, her pace upped as if she was running from something only she could see.

 _ ****~In Potion's Class~****_

"There will be no foolish wand waving in this class..."

Severus Snape certainly had a different teaching style from the rest of the teachers she had met so far. No one else had deducted points for being five minutes late before.

Edith got to a desk, shared with Neville and across from Tracey and Dancia, and pulled her book down with half a minute left to spare. He wasn't appreciative of tardiness.

"Are you alright Edith? You're a little pale," Neville said in concern.

"Just ran into a little trouble in the hall. Nothing serious." Edith brushed off, taking a deep breath to regulate her heartbeat.

"I'm glad you're okay." Neville said happily, blinking when Edith shifted uncomfortably and glanced down at her textbook. Confused, he decided to do the same.

Snape set them to work making their first potion. Unlike last time, he only cast the redhead one or two noticeable looks – in fact, he seemed to be avoiding looking at her this time. It was extremely odd, to say the least, though Edith was debating whether or not it would be worth it to question him on the matter given his personality.

Despite its many applications, Edith found this to be easily her least interesting subject. There were so many valuables to balance, constant threat of something exploding/melting/turning you into a rat via incompetent brewers, and technically you could just buy them out of various stores in Knockturn Alley.

It was probably the best that she sat next to Neville; the boy had promise, but he had _very_ shaky hands. Her job was basically to keep it from boiling over whenever he added in the various ingredients.

Dancia was watching out of the corner of her eye, and sarcastically mimed waving her hands helplessly like a damsel from a 40s movie. Edith rolled her eyes slightly, but refrained from snickering at Neville's expense.

Nott slunk in with Crabbe and Goyle at the halfway point, getting a reprimanding from Snape for their lateness. While he gave her a wide birth, Nott gave Edith a look of pure loathing, which she ignored with the air of one shooing a fly.

It was at this point in the day that Edith had cottoned on to the intense rivalry/dislike/hatred that ran between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Whatever had caused it went back for decades, and certainly hadn't been helped by Voldemort's rise to power and subsequent attempted takeover.

She would need more information before she made any decisions regarding it; Hermione mentioned a book called Hogwarts: A History that could prove to be very beneficial for such intelligence gathering.

A cauldron exploded on the other side of the room. Edith winced and pushed Neville aside, her eyes scanning the smoke that had billowed into the room for the source. Was it close to them?

"WEASLEY!"

Professor Snape stormed over to the other side of the room, where a soot caked, shellshocked Ron Weasley was standing with his partner Seamus. Seamus had already made his match explode earlier in Transfiguration.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor, and both of you are in detention to clean up this room! Class dismissed."

Edith paused before leaving, glancing back at Ron Weasley. The boy's cheeks were flaming red with humiliation and embarrassment. He looked like he was dreading news of this getting out.

Turning on her heel, Edith wrote a quick note and 'accidentally' dropped it on his desk on her way out. The professor, eagle eyed for mischief, saw it, but chose not to address it.

Confused, Ron picked the note up and read it.

" _Back luck for your first day; Snape has a raging grudge against Gryffindor. I could give you a hand in your next class, if you'd like – it might distract him."_

Ron looked at the note in surprise, before glancing at the door. "Why would a snake...?" He wondered. When Snape turned around, however, he quickly shoved the note in his pocket and bent over the cauldron with a sponge. They weren't allowed to use magic for cleaning.

Ron had suffered these kinds of punishments before at home. He seriously hoped that the Girl-Who-Lived wasn't pulling a cruel prank on him with this offer for help.

 ****~ _At and After Dinner~**_**

Edith wasn't used to eating so well. Granted, the last couple months she'd spent at the Dursleys had been...tolerable...but she had never been offered so much variety and the indisputable fact that she could eat as much as she wanted.

Besides, usually by the time desert rolled around Dudley had already devoured it all, the pig.

"You've caught on really quickly," Blaise complimented her halfway through dinner. Everyone was laughing and chatting with their respective houses; at the Ravenclaw table Hermione had struck up a conversation with Cho Chang regarding their Herbology lesson. Meanwhile, Hannah was telling Susan and Sally some muggle jokes she'd learned from Monty Python. And all the way over with the Gryffindors, Neville was tentatively speaking to Ron.

Edith was pleased at the distance of her fledgling network.

"Thank you. Isn't this your first year too?" Edith asked casually, disguising her curiosity about that remark.

"Well, yeah, but I heard that muggleborns aren't allowed to practice at home because it sets off the Underage Magic sensors." Blaise said.

 _Is that so?_ Edith's eye twitched slightly. _Well, that's obnoxious. I wonder if there's any way around that...another thing to research. I wonder if there's a cap on the time one person can spend in the library on any given day._

"Hm. I guess I'm a good student." Edith said modestly, before taking another swig of orange juice. She made a face after swallowing; _have these people not heard of milk? Or apples?_

"And so charming," Dancia said lightly. Edith flashed her a small smile at the slanted compliment before returning to her meal. The blonde heiress was fishing for information; perhaps to send in a letter to her parents? The redhead decided she wasn't going to indulge the other girl without some context.

After dinner, the group headed down to the common room. Tristan barked happily and returned to his mistress's side. Edith smiled and scratched him between his ears.

"Potter, may I have a moment of your time?"

Edith looked up in surprise to see Professor Snape standing at the entrance to the dorms. Brow furrowed, she said, "Of course, sir." Tristan kept up with her as she walked out and followed the cloaked teacher back to his office.

When they reached the room, Professor Snape was silent for a moment. Eventually he said, "Potter, has your aunt told you much about your mother's time at Hogwarts? Her relationships?"

"Not exactly, sir." _Not at all_ , Edith corrected silently. "She's said very little in general. I imagine the memories are painful." _For various reasons._

Professor Snape scowled slightly at this, which surprised her. "Hmph. So I suppose she wouldn't have told you about me."

"I'm sorry, sir?"

"Your mother – Lily Evans – was my oldest friend. We met as children." Professor Snape said simply.

Edith was so startled she took a step backwards. Even Tristan let out a small whine, as if he too was surprised.

"You look a lot like her; that was why I...was surprised to see you, when you arrived." Snape went on. "I apologize if I unnerved you; though you are _not_ to mention that to anyone else."

"O-Of course, sir." Edith clenched her fingers slightly; she was torn between asking him questions about her mother and simply ending the conversation. She felt almost as out of her comfort zone as when Sally hugged her earlier that day.

"Lily was...a remarkable person. There is a lot that I owe to her." Snape's eyes became distant when he said that; after a moment they sharpened into their usual piercing manner. "I imagine there's still a lot that's unfamiliar to you here; if you have complicated questions you may come to me."

Edith nodded slowly. "I understand. Thank you, sir."

"Good. Again, this is strictly confidential. Do not brag about exclusive privileges or you will loose them." Snape eyed her for a moment before adding, "You may go now. Don't forget the paper I assigned."

"Yes sir."

 ****~Slytherin Dorm~****

Edith lay down on her bed, idly stroking Tristan's fur, her mind running over all the events of the day. She was awake late into the night, lost in her thoughts.

This place was different. She had thought she could slip in easily, just like grade school after she discovered her powers, but the hug she had gotten from Sally had opened up a number of feelings she had restricted out of necessity for a long time.

She was used to thinking of friendship as an illusion, a pretty name given to gangs and beneficial relationships that fell apart once you lost your power. However, just a day later and she was experiencing something different – and it was thanks to the people she had been planning to recruit. The closest she had to this back at the Dursleys was Duncan, and their relationship was more 'powerful distant cousin' than 'friend'.

Dudley, her uncle and her aunt had made sure that she hadn't had any friends before.

If she was honest with herself – something she rarely did, because it was dangerous – it scared her a bit. These sorts of emotions made you vulnerable.

Would it be worth it? To open herself up to these people?

Tristan growled lightly. When Edith looked over at him, her dog pulled forward and nuzzled her cheek. The girl giggled slightly.

"You always seem to know what I'm thinking and how I'm feeling, don't you?" She murmured, wrapping an arm around his muddle. Tristan snuffed as if in amusement.

Edith sighed slightly. "Well, I'm not sure what to think about how I feel, Tristan. What if my instinct to use loyalty as a weapon ends up hurting them? What if I do it by accident and it turns them against me? What if my enemies – and I will be making some – use them to hurt me? It will be my fault..."

Tristan woofed.

"That can't be helped? But if they're my friends, it's up to me to protect them. And I can't do that all the time!"

Tristan gave her a flat look, as if she was missing the obvious.

"Teach them to be strong too...? I suppose that is the obvious solution...but what if they don't agree with my philosophies?"

Edith looked up at her ceiling while rubbing the white dog's paw. "Take my time to argue my point..? You're right, Tristan. I'm thinking of making things happen far too quickly. Patience is a virtue, after all...even Voldemort didn't start off charging."

 **End Chapter**

 _ **It will be interesting trying to balance Edith's darker tendencies (like tazing Nott, which she did partly to make a statement, partly just because he pissed her off) with having her be sympathetic. Her experiences have warped her, but she is still capable of empathy and wisdom unlike Voldemort. (she will not be joining him at any point)**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Cult Potter**

 _ **Wanda: Another bridging chapter, with Edith interacting with her friends and building up trust - I promise, I'll be dipping into the "Philosopher's Stone" plot soon enough; including the Mirror of Ersied.**_

 ** _Standard Disclaimer; I do not own Harry Potter._**

 **Chapter 5: Making Friends**

Edith spent most of her free time for the next several days in the library.

 _Hogwarts: A History_ proved to be an...interesting read. Aside from learning her way around the castle (including some old passageways that even the child-hating caretaker Filch didn't use anymore), she finally got some context for the Slytherin/Gryffindor feuds and generally divided nature of the school itself.

Slytherin and Gryffindor, two of the founders, had argued over whether or not they should let in muggleborn students. The school had been built at the height of the witch hunts, and Slytherin had lost a young son to the fires. When he proved unable to sway his former friend, Slytherin left the school, swearing vengeance on his son's killers and their descendants.

Ever since then, the houses had been fighting, even though the reason for the conflicts was long since dead and forgotten. _What a complete bother._

More history reading proved that being a muggleborn was an uphill climb. While Voldemort was the most prolific muggle hater in the last century, he was far from the first. Given Nott's attitude (and several like-minded students Edith had run into, such as Marcus Flint), this prejudice was still quite prevalent in public consciousness. There were all sorts of stories about muggleborns being refused jobs, trials deliberately botched or mislead resulting in innocents being thrown into Azkaban, it never ended.

Edith glowered frequently as she read through these passages. No wonder pricks like Nott and Flint were so cavalier in their racist, ignorant behaviour. Muggles barely ranked above animals to some of them. This was despite the fact that the 'puny muggles' could nuke them off the face of the earth if they were pushed too hard.

Now that she _had_ some context, Edith was torn between a long political game and straight up running a French Revolution to start her Empire. With the latter, she wouldn't have much trouble gaining traction among the muggleborns – cross referencing multiple geneologies made it clear that the traditionally 'pure blood' families had grown smaller in recent years.

However, governments built on those sorts of revolutions were often far from the most functional. Because they ran on fear and force alone, they often fell apart the moment the great conqueror died.

That was a recurring trend in history – Alexander the Great, Kubli Khan, Ancient Germany. The moment that talented, charismatic leader fell into permanent sleep, their empires shattered into pieces in the hands of often greedy and foolish heirs who weren't strong enough to maintain their grasp. Fear only lasted as long as the one who was feared did, and even then, cruelty almost always proved to be the undoing of would be world kings.

 _ ****~Line Break~****_

"Room for two more?"

Edith and Hermione both looked up from their respective copies of _Hogwarts: A History_ to see a pair of ratty blonde haired twins with mismatched eyes standing side by side. The one on the right was holding a massive history textbook, while the other one was holding a...muggle history book.

Huh. That's interesting.

"Sure," Hermione said warmly.

The girl on the right smiled in relief. "I'm Hestia. This is my twin sister Flora." She introduced them. Her sister rolled her eyes slightly, but she was smiling slightly. Hestia was the only person Flora was truly warm to.

The twins were a bit guarded, and normally preferred to keep to themselves, but Hestia became interested in Edith after the first few days. Her warm, friendly mannerisms had tempted the girl into trying to make a friend, and Flora never left her to do anything alone.

The two girls were living with their aunt, Anastasia Carrow, because both their parents were in jail for being Death Eaters and confirmed as having committed incest with each other. It wasn't confirmed if the twins were the result of that, but it was clear they weren't eager to find out. Flora got hostile whenever her father came up, so Edith simply filed that connection away for later.

"Is that for muggle studies?" Edith asked, pointing at the text book Flora was holding.

Flora shook her head. "Bit of that, bit of Auntie wanting to take us to Los Angelus for summer break. She's gotten a lot more interested in muggles the last year or so, ever since she met Tracey's dad."

Tracey tried to keep the fact that she was a half blood under her hat, so only some Slytherins knew. Given how Sally had been treated, Edith understood.

"I could tell you a lot. Traffic lights are a good place to start." She joked. Hestia laughed, and Flora cracked a momentary smile.

Both girls sat down and Edith lightly prodded Hermione to start a conversation. As talented and smart as the bookworm was, she was socially insecure, and the redhead was trying to help with that. Given Hestia's gentle nature, this was a good place to start.

"So movies are like Pensieve memory viewing? Curious." Flora murmured, brow furrowing. "There could be a very big market for that."

"Pensieve?" Edith asked. When Flora shot her a confused look, she shrugged, "My aunt only knew the basics of this world, and there's only so many hours in the day I can spend reading."

"Pensieves are magic sinks used to contain old memories." Flora explained. "It's often used in court cases as decisive evidence. Of course, there are ways to alter memories that have been removed, but it's a complicated and delicate task."

"Sounds useful." _Very, but it could also be cumbersome if someone unwanted stumbled across it._

"They've often been decisive evidence in Cold Cases." Flora said, her eyes brightening slightly. She loved mysteries and crime stories. "Usually, its either the threat of memory viewing or Veratiserum that brings out the confessions." At Edith's quizzical look, she added, "Veratiserum is a potion that makes you tell the truth, even if you don't want to. You have to prevent the accused from closing their throats or having access to phoenix tears, otherwise it's infallible."

"How helpful," Edith mused.

 _ ****~Line Break~****_

"S-So, I have to stir _counter_ -clockwise after putting the newt eyes in?"

"Yes, Ron. And remember, you have to keep stirring as you put the eyes in or else it will start simmering." Edith instructed the redhead patiently, though internally she was very close to hitting her head against the wall.

She was beginning to suspect that Ron was either dyslexic or severely learning challenged, because for whatever reason he struggled mightily with the textbook instructions in Potions. Not to mention he had _another_ defective wand, so he was struggling in his other subjects as well.

 _There's always a downside to playing the Good Samaritan._

"H-Hey Edith."

"Hello, Neville." Edith said, refraining from the urge to rub her fingers against both sides of her head. Even Ron was bound to notice that, after all. "What's going on?"

"I-I noticed you were helping Ron with his potion's work, and-and I was hoping..." Neville trailed off nervously, but Edith exhaled with relief. If the two Gryffindors started working _together_ , it might lessen the hours she spent trying to ram instructions through Ron's head.

"Sure. Sit right down." Edith gestured to the seat next to Ron. Neville's expression crumbled with relief, and he gave her his full attention.

"I hate this book," Ron grumbled as he squinted down at his textbook. "This one's been written all over!"

"Didn't you buy that off the shelf?" Edith asked, annoyed at the implication that Ron had scribbled all over a book he'd have to use.

"No, this one's third had from my brothers. My family – we're – we had to cut some corners when buying school supplies, so some stuff wasn't new." Ron stammered out, but he stuck his chin out and scowled defiantly at Edith as he admitted being poor.

Edith shook her head. "There's nothing wrong with that, Ron. You can't help being in a big family where money is tight. Hey – let's see if you can borrow a different one from the library whenever you have potions in your schedule. Would that help?"

Ron's expression became somewhat hopeful. "R-Really? That would be great."

Edith waved over Madam Price and asked her about it. The teacher was already coming to like her because she was always quiet whenever she took books out. Sure enough, the librarian came bustling back with a shiny new text book.

"Thank you, Edith." Ron said with sincere respect.

"You're welcome, Ron."

 _ ****~Line Break~****_

"...So the feared Lord Vader turned back into Anakin Skywalker at long last, and died redeemed in the eyes of his son." Edith finished with a flourish.

"That's so sad!" Susan exclaimed.

"It's the best that could have happened. Anakin is redeemed, Luke survives and the Emperor died. That happy ending was earned," Tracey argued.

"But it would have been even better if Anakin had _lived_. I mean, he went through so much..." Susan protested. Sally nodded in agreement.

"He took enough electricity to kill fifty men, and he relied almost entirely on cybernetics. I don't think that could have ended any other way without a spell," Hermione noted.

Edith was sitting outside with her friends, telling the pure bloods about everything Star Wars pertaining to the original series. Daphne had a very unladylike freakout when the 'I am your father' bomb was dropped, which was amusing in and of itself – she was usually quite poised and sharp witted. She and Tracey were hanging on every description of space and the ships that travelled it.

Tracey announced that Luke Skywalker was her new future husband. Hestia differed mainly in that she preferred the dashing rouge Han Solo. Susan, meanwhile, decided to take on Leia Organa/Skywalker as her political role model.

Flora remarked that she would make a good Sith Lord – or Lady, in this case. "Aren't there any _female_ Force users?" She complained by the end of the series. "Or is the Force sexist?"

Edith laughed in response and told her a bit about Rey, Ashoka Tano and Bastilla Shan – as much as she could without spoiling future stories.

"Do you suppose that's actually possible? I mean, making homes on different planets?" Neville asked.

Edith shrugged, before smirking. "Neville, Neville, Neville. Are you a wizard or not?" Neville blinked and nodded slowly. "With Magic, possibilities you can hardly imagine become possible. You need to start thinking outside the box! Think bigger! Of _course_ it's possible!"

"Imagine what the border systems would be like in space." Hermione joked. "For that matter, imagine being a highway patrol man in space. You'd have to dodge asteroids on your off hours."

"Or you'd blast them out of the way." Sally suggested. "You know. With _magic_." The entire group burst into various levels of laughter at that.

"So that's how you discovered your magic? You thought it was the Force?" Blaise asked Edith jokingly.

Edith nodded before making more self-deprecating jokes about what a cute, innocent kid she must have been to come to that conclusion. She felt her grin being a little forced; she had seen the movies because she was hiding from her aunt and uncle on the streets. Just trying to find a place to lay her head down, so she could get through the day.

 _It's not going to be like that ever again_ , she thought. _I'm not that girl anymore._

"I can't believe Tarkin actually destroyed Alderaan." Dancia said.

To everyone's surprise, she was a bit hung up on that particular event in the story. "It's so insane – millions of lives, wiped out instantly." She shook her head. She admired her father, listened to his stories about the war. But imagining that slaughter at her own hands, at the hands of her boss, was unthinkable to her. "Why would you have a weapon like that in the first place? The sheer _evil_ of it."

Her red haired friend, whom she was meant to befriend for the benefits of her father, noticed her confusion and decided to feed it. And so the wheel was turning backwards.

"Interesting question." Edith remarked, leaning back against the bench. Ahead of her, Tristan was running around in circles in the yard, barking and chasing squirrels. It was a beautiful sunny Saturday, and her favourite kind of weather – a cool breeze, but not cold enough to warrant mittens or a warm jacket. "I think it's meant to terrify people into compliance, but instead it made them angry enough to rise up against the Empire. It's funny how by trying to obliterate the Rebellion, they instead gave it strength? People like Tarken are always the architects of their own demise, trying to solidify their own power."

Hermione nodded solemnly. "So true," She agreed.

"What was the phrase Leia used? 'The more you tighten your grip, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.'" Sally quoted. "Wiser words haven't been said."

Daphne, Tracey, Dancia and Blaise all looked thoughtful at that. Edith grinned, though she covered it with a cough.

 _ ****~Line Break~****_

"You ordered more books?" Dancia questioned. "What for?"

"Spell books, obviously." Edith said as the delivery owl from Knockturn Alley came in with the order she had put in a week ago. "I want to learn as much as I can, and not all the stuff I'm interested in is listed in the curriculum at this point."

"You're almost as bad as Hermione," Blaise remarked. Edith rolled her eyes at him and made a 'talk to the hand' gesture when he complained about it.

"Sorry, but I'm not sorry." Edith retorted. Pansy Parkinson mimed gagging at her use of language, and harumphed when the redhead payed her no mind.

What Edith had ordered were spellbooks for combat and self defence. It boggled her mind that kids weren't allowed to learn defensive spells until year three. That was just insane, especially considering they were living right next to a forest so dangerous not even seventh years were allowed to go inside without permission. So she decided, since she had the money for it, she would have some extra-circular learning on the side.

She was debating whether or not she should offer to tutor her friends in it as well. On one hand, she wanted them to be safe, but she couldn't see how to justify learning this kind of dangerous magic in the 'safest school around'.

She would be handed an excuse on Halloween night.

 ****~In the Headmaster's Office~****

Dumbledore stared out the window, his brow furrowed slightly as he considered Edith Potter.

The girl seemed to be fitting in well, despite being sorted into Slytherin. She was showing up to all her classes, and by all accounts was very diligent in her work. Even Professor Snape, who he had been certain would make life difficult for the girl, gave her a fairly positive review at the first Staff meeting.

But there was just something...off. When he had visited Petunia about the dog, the woman had seemed almost terrified. Even her husband, a very bigoted brute, was fairly numb about the whole affair. Dumbledore wondered if they were finally becoming more accepting of magic in the years following Lily's death...or if something more sinister was going on. He couldn't ask without coming across as suspicious, so he left.

Then there was the fact Edith had gone into Slytherin, when Dumbledore had very much planned for her to be the Golden Gryffindor girl.

For a little while, he was afraid that he was welcoming in another Tom Riddle.

But Edith was making friends from all four houses, suggesting she was free of prejudice. She seemed to genuinely value their company, given how much time she spent with various people in the library or out in the field.

Tom had only seen his death eaters as useful tools, he wouldn't have taken them out to the hut of a half giant to tell them stories and ask questions about wolf hybrids.

While it was unprecedented, Dumbledore didn't see any severe deviation from his plans...yet. So for now, he would sit back, and watch Edith travel through her first year.

 **End Chapter**

 **This is probably the last daily upload, and I feel bad about that, but, (sigh) high school still calls. Thank god I only have one year left of that...**

 **Read and Review please!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Cult Potter**

 _ **(says this isn't going to update daily) (updates the next day)**_

 _ **I...am honestly not used to my muse being this co-operative. I guess this is the story I didn't realize I wanted to write for a long time, and now it's all flowing out. So here's the next chapter! Standard disclaimer, I do not own.**_

 **Chapter 6: Holiday Havoc**

Halloween; Edith had never particularly enjoyed Halloween. Of course, she'd never really been in a position to enjoy the holidays – no one handed out candy to the neighbourhood 'freak', after all. That was just common sense, even if it was based on lies.

It was a spectacle that night. Pumpkins, low lights and lots of candy covering the tables. All the students were excited, especially Ron and Dancia ironically enough. Dancia was usually so bent on acting older than she was that normally she would have sneered at the behaviour she was now demonstrating.

Sally also seemed to be having fun – Edith passed by her telling Susan and a boy named Terry ghost stories, with overdone hand gestures to boot.

Of course, Edith wasn't feeling as celebratory as her companions despite the festivities raised by the teachers. This was the anniversary of the murders of her parents, and it was the only day of the year that she truly allowed herself to mourn, to be weak, to wonder what life would have been like if they were still around.

Hagrid, bless his simple soul, had given her a picture book full of animated images of her parents, including their wedding and their youth. She thanked him with all her heart.

The last two months had been fairly calm, except for the first flying lesson when Neville fell and broke his wrist. The brooms had been faulty and past their expiration date; Dumbledore got an angry letter from the Board of Governors after Edith convinced the boy to complain to his vindictive grandmother. That had been amusing, but after that not too much interesting had been going on.

The only thing that really kept Edith busy was continuing to cultivate her friendships, and searching for a way to exorcise that annoying ghost they had teaching History – Binns. If she hadn't gotten herself those self defence manuals, that would be an hour every other day completely wasted.

But, thanks to that she now she had "Stupify" and "Reducto" added to her spell inventory. So it wasn't a total loss.

Finally annoyed with all the laughing in the room, Edith left the table and started wandering the halls, seeking a place where she could mourn in private – and where she couldn't be intruded on, which left out the dorm room.

(Pansy Parkinson was being exceptionally irritating in this regard)

So Edith found herself seeking out the library, again. No one else was really there, not even Price, but the doors were unlocked – after all, who hid important things in the library? Sitting down at a seat at the last table, Edith opened the picture book with her parents and pulled out several candles she had stolen off the teachers while they were preparing the Great Hall. Carefully she set up the eight candles and lit them one at a time with her wand – she had to thank Hermione for showing her that little trick.

Smiling sadly, Edith looked down at the book. She had it open to the wedding photo. Her mother was incredibly beautiful, her father looked like the happiest man on earth. Standing next to him was her godfather according to the writing under the photo itself. The bridesmaids were also people she didn't recognize – two older women and a very young girl with colour changing hair.

 _Wedding Day – clockwise from the right, James Potter, Sirius Black, Frank Longbottom, Alice Longbottom, Andromeda Tonks, Nymphadora Tonks._

While she prayed for her parents and wept quietly, Edith wondered who these people were. Her godfather, her godmother. Why had she never met them? Of course Petunia and Vernon wouldn't have been happy about it, but they couldn't have prevented other adults from coming to visit her right? Especially other witches and wizards.

Edith was surprised to see Neville's last name in the book; Frank and Alice must be his parents. She made a mental note to interrogate him about it before the night was out.

"Why did you die for me, mom?" Edith wondered aloud, looking down at her mother's smiling face. "Why die for a freak?"

Of course, the image couldn't answer her – it was frozen in time, waving at the world, unaware of the fate they would eventually be meted.

Edith sighed. Brushing her tears away, she gently blew out the candles and closed her book. Speaking a final prayer as she made her way down the stairwell, Edith returned to the Slytherin dorm to put her precious possession away.

Tristan rubbed against her leg and barked as if in concern.

"I'll be alright, Tristan." Edith murmured, giving her dog a hug before reluctantly making her way back in the direction of the Great Hall.

 _ ****~In the Hall~****_

Edith smelled it before she saw or heard anything.

Trolls had a very distinctive stench; if you felt like vomiting up everything you'd ever eaten there was a good chance one was nearby. She was still a ways away from the Great Hall when the stench became overpowering, which meant either the Weasley Twins had gone on another Dungbomb run, or something was wrong.

Then she heard Hannah Abbot screaming.

Edith turned the corner and saw what should have been something terrifying. Both Hannah and Sally were running at break neck pace away from a three meter tall mountain troll. The monster had apparently honed in on them, because it was moving abnormally fast for one of its kind, and it was wielding a huge wooden club.

Hannah looked frightened, but Sally looked a cross between frightened and pissed off. It was within a witches power to destroy a monster like this, but they had been taught no self defence skills so far in school. That's what happens when a school prioritizes Herbology over student safety.

(One kid, Edith didn't know his name, had tried to see what was in the 'mysterious third floor' and had turned up in the hospital wing sans one arm. Dumbledore didn't explain what had happened and had the issue treated as hush, hush.)

Edith immediately pulled out her wand, thinking quickly. A strategy flashed into her head and she yelled, "Sally! Hannah! This way!"

The two Hufflepuffs caught sight of her and barrelled around the corner a moment later. Edith gave them a quick once over before saying, "Do you trust me?"

Sally nodded.

"Good." Edith turned the corner and faced down the troll, ignoring Hannah's cry of alarm. Pointing her wand at the creature's club, she cast a levitation spell, wrenching it free of the monster's grip.

The troll stumbled backwards, surprised. Edith pulled the club back like a baseball player before swinging it right at the side of the head.

"Trolls are spell resistant unless they're stunned," She yelled at her two impromptu students as the first blow dazed the troll but didn't knock it over; the second however did send the moaning creature to its knees. "So blunt force is often your best option!"

With two more blows she put the creature on its back. Dropping the club to the floor, Edith then pointed her wand at it again and muttered, "Reducto!"

The club instantly splintered into several more managable sticks, all of which had very sharp points – exactly what she needed. Edith grabbed one off the ground and ran straight up to the troll, blasting it with continuous stunners to prevent it from getting up again. Stopping at the side of its head, Edith muttered a minor strength augmentation spell and rammed the spike she was holding through the creature's neck.

Blood erupted out of the wound, spraying her face and arms. The troll wheezed and hit her with its flailing arms. Knocked against the wall, Edith spat out a mouthful of foul black blood and shook her head, staring at the monster as it thrashed in its death rows, the spike working deeper into the throat the more it squirmed.

Dimly she heard Sally yelling her name; the Hufflepuff grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet, leading her away from the dying creature. It was still capable of movement, and was still trying to drag itself their way as the two girls lead the half blind Edith down the halls to safety.

As it turned out, the teachers had been alerted about a troll being on the loose in the school mere minutes before. Professor McGonagall found them, and after she was done shrieking after seeing the darling Girl-Who-Lived half covered in troll gore she brought the three of them up to the hospital wing.

"What happened?! Why weren't you with your house?" The transfiguration professor demanded, slightly hysterical. Edith vaguely wondered if the ancient woman had grandchildren. "Did you not hear the order to go back to your dorms?!"

"We didn't!" Sally protested. "I was just coming back from the bathroom with Hannah and it was standing right in the middle of the hall! If we hadn't run into Edith, it probably would have killed us."

McGonagall's eyes jumped to Edith. "What were you thinking? A first year going against a fully grown mountain troll? You're lucky to still be here..." Her voice faltered as she took in the bloodstains in Edith's jacket; the school nurse hadn't vanished them yet since she was treating the girl's shock. "How did you even _fight_ it?"

"You'd be disappointed Professor," Edith managed to grin, to Hannah's amazement. "It was extremely muggle."

There was a short period of silence before Poppy, of all people, burst out into awkward laughter. McGonagall sent the woman in incredulous look before giving Slytherin thirty points (a world record, coming from her to the house of green and silver) for bringing down the troll.

Once she was cleaned up and Poppy was certain she hadn't been injured – just a (comparatively, given that they were caused by a goddamn troll) series of mild bruising from getting thrown against the wall – Edith was released and sent back to the Slytherin dorm.

She got a hero's welcome from half the house. Even some kids who had sneered at her grudgingly admitted that killing the troll was no small feat.

"You killed a troll!" Dancia ranted.

"Again, it was very muggle." Edith said, rubbing the back of her head. It still hurt a bit from the impact. "I'm surprised you're not upset I didn't have a more magic based solution."

Blaise looked at her like she was nuts. "Edith, it was a _freaking_ mountaintroll. Those things are spell _resistant_! Of course we're impressed."

"Are Sally and Hannah alright?" Tracey asked, concerned.

"They're fine, just a bit shaken."

Sally had hugged her again before they split up to their respective dorms. Edith still wasn't sure how to react to it. "I think it's still sinking in for me." She added, hoping no one would notice her distant look.

"Why were you out in the halls, though?" Dancia asked. "You said you just wanted to take a walk, but you were gone for ages."

Edith's lip twitched. "Remind me, Dancia, what happened today eleven years ago? I'm a little famous for it, I've heard."

The Malfoy heiress's cheeks immediately flared red. "A-Ugh, I'm so sorry. I forgot again...this was..."

"It's fine." Edith interrupted. She didn't want to be pitied, here in the middle of the Slytherin common room. She wasn't going to show weakness anywhere but in seclusion. "When a war is over, it's easy to forget what had to happen to achieve that."

 _ ****~Yule~****_

Edith slept in at Christmas. (She wasn't used to calling it Yule, yet) Eventually she was woken by Tristan tugging at her hair with his teeth. Gently pushing his snout away, Edith blinked the sleep away from her eyes to see warm sunlight filtering in through the dungeon windows and festive laughing from downstairs.

Ever since she killed the troll, nothing particularly interesting had happened, once again. (Except for using her tazer on Pansy when the girl insisted on insulting Hermione and calling her foul names. And that only lasted for a day)

Noting the date, Edith pulled out a dog treat and fed it to her faithful companion. "Merry Christmas, Tristan." She murmured, brushing his fur as the guard ate the treat up.

"Edith!"

The redhead looked up in surprise to see Hestia Carrow standing in the doorway. "We've been waiting for you to come down for ages!" The blonde haired girl said in exasperation. "Sally was starting to think you had pulled a Sleeping Beauty on us."

"I...hadn't realized you were waiting for me," Edith said in confusion.

"Of course we were! Those presents aren't going to unwrap themselves!" Hestia scolded.

"...Haven't you opened them already?" The redhead's brow furrowed, not getting the cues her fellow Slytherin was sending her way.

Hestia laughed. "Silly, you don't open other people's presents for them! Especially when you already know what you got them, that would just take the fun out of it!"

"Presents...for _me_?" Edith finally asked, stunned. Laughing, Hestia grabbed her hand and started pulling her down the stairs. She brought her down to the Slytherin common room, where a tree and a huge stack of presents were sitting. Flora, Tracey, Daphne, Blaise and Dancia were all sitting surrounded by their own gifts, but they had clearly been waiting for her.

"Merry Christmas, Edith!" Blaise cheered, motioning for the shell-shocked redhead to come down and join them. "Hurry, open one up!"

Edith stood rooted to the spot for a moment. They...they had gotten her gifts? She hadn't asked for anything; the thought hadn't even entered her mind.

To her mingled shock and alarm, tears began to burn at the corners of her eyes. Yet she wasn't upset, she was...happy, happy in a way she'd never been before. She couldn't explain it, but a lightness like when Sally had hugged her sprang up in her cold heart, and it was all she could do to prevent the proverbial floodgates from opening.

Scrambling down the stairs, she thanked each of her confused friends (they were her friends, true and real – she couldn't refer to them any other way now) profusely before picking the one nearest to her. It was Blaise's; an immaculate silver pendant in the shape of a Pegasus.

For a moment, Edith just pressed it against her heart, relishing in the feeling it gave her, before leaning over and hugging Blaise. The boy flushed and smiled nervously in surprise.

Ravenously Edith dug into the rest of her gifts; Dancia had gotten her candy from Hogsmeade and more advanced Magic Theory books. Tracey had given her a starter's guide for Ancient Runes (of course), while Daphne had bought a gold familiar collar for Tristan, giving him some magical properties.

"Wait and see," Was the Greengrass girl's answer (complete with a wink) when Edith enquired as to the nature of the familiar bond.

Hestia and Flora's gifts were both duelling related; the history and rules textbook and a set of protective gloves. Flora was a duelling enthusiast, and wanted a sparring partner.

Sally's gift consisted of winter jumpers and a decorative pen. Susan, meanwhile, got her a wand holster and an ornate dragon bracelet which Edith put on immediately. Hermione's gift consisted of books (of course) talking about diagnostic spells and setting wards. Neville and Ron, meanwhile, both gave her Honeyduke's chocolate.

"Edith? A-Are you crying?" Tracey asked in concern as a wayward tear slid down the future conqueror's face.

"I-It's nothing. Y-You guys...you're amazing. I couldn't ask f-for better friends." Edith managed. Hestia took this as a cue to instigate a group hug, to which even Dancia begrudgingly participated in.

Once she'd calmed down somewhat, Edith lead her fellow Slytherins outside where she met up with the rest of her friends. Then she started a snowball fight.

By the end of the day, even the Weasley Twins had joined in, and alliances quickly formed to take on the prankster duo. Edith worked alongside Sally and Hermione to ambush the pair and belt them with enough snow to make them look like miniature yetis, which Ron, who usually got hit with the brunt of their pranks, got a good laugh out of.

When the sun finally set, Edith returned to her room in greater cheer than ever before. When she reached her bed, she was surprised to see an obnoxiously coloured present sitting there waiting for her. Intrigued, she carefully unpacked it and gasped when a soft cloak fell into her hands.

Confused, she looked at the letter. _Your father left this in my possession before he died. I imagine he would have wanted you to have it._

Gently Edith ran her hand over it. Out of habit, she cast a diagnostic spell over it...and was unnerved to find several tracking charms attached to it. Using one of her new books, she removed the spells and examined the cloak again. It didn't seem too strange...but why would her father leave her an ordinary cloak?

Overwhelmed by her curiosity, Edith threw the cloak over her shoulders. A moment later, Tracey and Daphne walked into the room.

"Why do you suppose Edith was crying earlier?" Tracey asked, sounding concerned. "I swear it's almost like she was surprised to get presents at all."

"I noticed." Daphne also looked troubled.

"It's a long story," Edith said, wondering how to explain. However she instead jumped back in surprise when both girls screamed and spun around.

"E-Edith? Where are you?" Tracey asked, placing a hand on her chest.

"Right next to you," Edith answered, blinking. Tracey and Daphne turned to their right, but it seemed like they were staring straight _through_ her without seeing her. More than a little alarmed, Edith reflexively removed her cloak, causing both girls to jump again.

"AH! W-what just happened?" Tracey stammered.

Edith's eyes dropped to the velvet drape in her hands. "This cloak..." She turned it over in her hands, before cautiously sliding it over back over her head.

"A-And you're gone again. Gods this is freaky!" The redhead was beginning to look extremely nervous. Meanwhile Daphne's eyes widened with understanding.

"A cloak of Invisibility...! Those are very rare! Who gave it to you?"

"I don't know," Edith said, walking over to her bed and picking up the letter. "There's no name on this letter or in the packaging..."

"Your hand is disembodied...you can use that for great screams next Halloween," Daphne said after a moment of silence. Edith and Tracey both giggled at that.

 _ ****~Later that Night~****_

Edith was wide awake after her friends had gone to sleep once again, though this time her thoughts were much more pleasant. Her mind was in a tizzy over the possibilities opened up by the invisibility cloak throughout the school. She could walk right past Filch without him even noticing.

With that in mind, finally Edith got out of bed, grabbed her shoes and her cloak and walked out the room, careful not to disturb Tristan on her way out. The halls were eerily quiet when all the students were asleep, and it seemed even the ghosts were being quiet tonight. Edith wandered for a while, not sure where she was going but exploring all the places that Filch insisted were out of boundaries.

Eventually she found herself in a spare classroom, full of unused objects and covers. What caught her eye, however, was a large ornate mirror sitting at the end of the hall. Tilting her head to the right, Edith slowly walked over to it, brushing her fingers against the Latin inscription carved along the edges. Wondering what it said, she finally dropped her eyes to the mirror itself.

Slowly, the girl lowered her arm, mesmerized what she was seeing.

Dumbledore had very much intended for her to stumble across the Mirror of Ersied. Thinking that she would see her parents, and thus reinforce her connection to the cause of the Light, it never occurred to the man that she would see something else.

Edith saw...herself, now a beautiful twentysomething woman. She was dressed in a mysterious kevlar suit covered in exotic scales. In her right hand was a machine gun with her wand clipped to the top next to the targeting sight. She was wearing a red diamond tiara on her head, and she was smiling slightly. Standing around here were her friends, each dressed partly as muggles, partly as wizards. The room they were in seemed to be modelled on the Oval Office, though there were moving pictures in it. Flags of all the world's countries, both magical and muggle, were sitting all around her. As if controlled by a camera, the image pulled back, revealing crowds of cheering people of all sorts surrounding the platform. She saw armies kneeling or dropping their weapons. The area was that of the United Nations.

After hanging on this image for a moment, the image zoomed in again. The older Edith was now dressed causally, sitting at a dining table. Her friends were sitting around the table, telling jokes and laughing and generally...acting like a family. A small child entered the room and sat on Edith's right; she was a pretty redhead with familiar green eyes.

Edith stared at this image for a long time, simply drinking it in. She knew what she was looking at; she was seeing her potential future. She was seeing the world she had always wanted to create; the Queen she could be. And now she wasn't alone, she had her friends – her loyal friends.

This could be her future. All she had to do...was reach out, and grasp it.

 **End Chapter**

 _ **I hope this chapter gave you guys some feels! So begins Edith's crusade, don't worry - she'll be telling her friends about her plans soon enough. She just wanted to see what their reactions might be. And besides, soon she'll be collecting a new toy for her plans for conquest. Something Dumbledore had no business bringing into a school full of impressionable children in the first place.**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Cult Potter**

 _ **Wanda: Merry Easter Weekend, my darling reviewers! I hope you're all relaxing and enjoying yourselves. Even if you aren't religious, an extended weekend is always welcome. Anyways, since I have the time and my muse is still cooperating (it's amazing!) here's the next chapter of this story!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: Standard, standard, I do not own Harry Potter**_

 **Chapter 7: The Third Floor Treasure**

Yule had only gone by a few days before a couple of men from the Board of Governors – including Dancia's father Lucius Malfoy – who came knocking at the Headmaster's door with questions about the boy who lost his arm.

At first, Edith was largely uninterested; until after lunch when she, Sally, Tracey and Hermione were having tea with Hagrid. Now, all the girls liked Hagrid – he had a big heart, he loved all kinds of vicious dark creatures, and generally he was a nice person to be around. So, they were out for tea with him when the subject turned to the governor's visits.

Hagrid really looked up to Dumbledore. Edith didn't hold it against him; the Hogwarts rumour mill had revealed that the Headmaster had gotten him a job after he'd been expelled from the school under dubious circumstances. However, he ended up saying something interesting.

"The've got it out for Fluffy, Dumbledore wanted a guard for the third floor, and Mister Flamel wanted nothing but the best safety around-" Hagrid's eyes widened. "Shouldn't have said that. I sh'uldn't have said that."

"Why? What's _up_ there?" Sally asked. "It's been driving me crazy!"

"Can't tell you. Secret!" Hagrid insisted.

Sally opened her mouth to argue further, but Edith shook her head, signalling her to drop the issue. Hagrid was too loyal for them to brute force the question. That, and she didn't want to get him in trouble – they would have to be sneaky.

"Dancia said that her father's a very fair man," Edith deflected slightly, "between him and Dumbledore, this should get settled pretty easily."

Hagrid was mollified a bit by this remark, since he knew that the redhead was friends with the young Malfoy girl and didn't want to upset her. He ranted at length about the other three, though – Patrick Nott, Daemon Moon (uncle of fellow Slytherin Lilith Moon), and Evan Parkinson. He called the three rats and self serving elitists, among many, many other things. The girls nodded and agreed politely, making aggravated noises whenever it was appropriate, though their minds were elsewhere.

Once Hagrid had calmed down, the foursome left his house. But this time, they were talking about Flamel and the third floor.

"Where have I heard the name Flamel before?" Tracey wondered, brow furrowed. "It sounds very familiar, but I can't put my finger on it."

"It sounds like a last name," Edith noted. "Hermione, any ideas?"

The Ravenclaw bookworm looked thoughtful. "You know...I think I've heard the name recently too. ...Hang on, I've got a thought! He's got something to do with Alchemy! Library!" Immediately Hermione turned on her heel and rushed down the hallways towards their usual hideout. Her friends exchanged a look before rushing after her.

After about ten minutes of searching, Hermione stomped over to their table carrying an enormous book and dropped it with a mighty thud. Edith, Sally and Tracey gathered around as Hermione thumbed her way through the book and finally opened it to the relevant page.

"I knew it! Nicholas Flamel was Dumbledore's Alchemy partner. He's also the last known creator of the Philosopher Stone. He's over six hundred years old!"

"Wow." Tracey sighed passionately. "The Philosopher Stone is one of the great magical treasures. It grants interval immortality, creates gold from nothing..." Her eyes widened. "That's what's on the third floor. That's what Dumbledore's trying to hide!"

"Why would you bring something like that into a school?" Sally asked, completely baffled. "That...that doesn't sound safe. I think somebody dangerous would do just about anything for something that precious."

"He's over a hundred years old...maybe he's going senile." Tracey suggested.

"That doesn't make sense, though." Sally said, frowning. "Headmaster Dumbledore ran the resistance against He Who Must Not Be Named barely eleven years ago. And he's running a school. He must still have most of his mental faculties."

"Here's an idea, how about we not loudly discuss the mental state of our headmaster while we're still in his school," Edith suggested dryly. Sally and Tracey both blushed and looked down at the book again. "So the immortality stone is here, huh...? Interesting."

"But why _bring_ it here?" Sally was still hung up on this. "What purpose could that serve?"

Edith sat back in her chair. "Why indeed." She wondered.

 _ ****~Later~****_

Now, it was familiar territory for the teachers of Defence Against the Dark Arts to be either terrible, or too cool to stick around. Professor Quirrel, unfortunately, fell into the first category – for more reasons than one. Ever since the post had been cursed fifty years ago by an unknown culprit, that had been the pattern.

Everyone treated Quirrel as a joke due to his stutter, his room stinking of garlic, and the fact that he never removed his rather silly looking turban.

So when Quirrel ended his class early due to 'vampire head pains', most students just rolled their eyes and rejoiced in a free period. Amused by this, Edith left the classroom early with Sally in tow. They were discussing the philosopher's stone in hushed tones while walking down a back hallway when Sally paused.

"Do you hear that?"

Edith frowned and closed her eyes. A moment later, she heard it. Sobbing. It sounded like an older man, too...after exchanging a quick look, the two girls crept along to get closer to the source of the noise.

"...verus Snape was waiting for me, Master! I couldn't...(sob)"

It was Professor Quirrel, undoubtedly. Even without that stutter, his voice was very high pitched and distinctive. Edith craned her neck until she could see inside the room; their DADA instructor was alone, but he was speaking to someone...

As she watched, Quirrel flinched as though struck, doubling over and clutching his head. "I tried master, I tried, I'll do better..."

 _Master_? Sally mouthed out, looking at her friend for some sort of explanation. Edith shook her head; she didn't understand either.

"...the stone, yes, the stone is still here...Dumbledore would never admit that he was foolish to bring it here in the first place...he has become prideful and stagnant in his old age..."

The stone...what were the odds that he _wasn't_ talking about the Philosopher's stone? What other stone could be so important? Edith tensed; reaching into her 'handbag' she pulled out the invisibility cloak and gestured for Sally to come closer to her. She threw the cloak over their shoulders, hiding them from view, and stepped just inside the classroom in order to hear better...

"...I can still get it for you, master! Agh!" Professor Quirrel fell to his knees; the turban on his head was twisting weirdly...as if there was something underneath it.

A hissing, malevolent voice whispered through the room...hearing it set Edith's nerves on edge. Her mind fled back to that old nightmare, the memory of her mother's death.

" _Do not fail me again, fool...I have half a mind to make the Potter girl my servant instead...at this rate, she would be more competent than you._ "

"N-Never, master...I-I'll prove myself to you..."

" _I have waited eleven years to return to life...I will not wait much longer. This is your final warning."_

Sally froze up in fear, having come to the same conclusion as Edith when the she started hearing the voice. She grabbed her friend's hand. Edith stood as still as a statue, watching as Quirrel straightened up and slowly shambled out of the room.

"Is that...?" Sally whimpered.

"I think so." Edith slowly pulled the cloak off, staring across the room seemingly without seeing anything. Again she thought about that dream; the cackling voice that belonged to the monster who had just been standing in front of her. She saw the green light of the killing curse that severed her mother's life, the body lying on the ground.

Sally stepped forward, squeezing Edith's fingers. "Edith? Say something, please." She asked nervously.

Edith shook her head slowly, her fingernails digging into her palm until she felt blood tricking down her fingers. "We need to get out of here. He might come back." She muttered.

She started walking – her mind went dangerously blank as she left the room. All she was really aware of was the warmth of Sally's hand as they headed down the stairwells into the basement. The laugh of her mother's killer was ringing in her ears. Sally kept trying to talk to her, growing increasingly worried as they entered the Slytherin common room.

The password for it was 'pureblood'. How very subtle. The older students really didn't care about trying to mend their house's reputation.

"Edith? What happened?" Daphne asked, looking at her friend in alarm.

"Give me a minute," Edith muttered, releasing Sally and heading straight for the bathroom.

Once she had locked herself inside, Edith hung over the sink, swamped by a wave of nausea. For several minutes, she remained absolutely still staring blankly at the pristine white stone as her breathing became more and more erratic. Her mother was dead, she had just been in the same room with the man who murdered her. _He killed my mother and my father; he stole my chance for a simple, happy life..._ The mirror groaned, a spider web series of cracks spreading across its surface. Edith gritted her teeth, a scream building up in her throat. All she wanted to do was leave this room, find Quirrel, and ram her tazer down his throat at full power, so she could stand and watch as he turned into a smoking, eternally screaming mummy.

There was a pounding on the door. "Edith? Edith, _are you okay_?" Sally was still there; her voice sounded distant like they were speaking over a telephone.

"Of course she isn't!" Tracey was there too. She was anxious. "She just saw You Know Who!"

"You know what I mean!" Sally retorted.

Edith didn't answer. The mirror shattered. Evidently that was a bit too much for Sally; a second later the door unlocked on its own and the Hufflepuff hurried inside with Tracey at her heels. For the third time in their first year, Sally hugged Edith tightly, burying her head in her friend's shoulder.

"Edith? Please tell us you're okay."

The haze in her mind finally fell back, allowing Edith to arrange her thoughts. She put a hand on Sally's head, muttering, "I'm sorry, Sally." before gently untangling herself from the girl's embrace. "Sorry about the mirror. I'll fix it..."

Daphne cautiously entered and assisted her in levitating and repairing the mirror. It was lucky that there weren't many people in the dorm to hear the noise.

"Thanks Daphne."

"What's he doing here? What does he want?" Tracey fretted. "We've got to tell someone-!"

"You think they'll listen to us?" Edith asked cynically. When Tracey gave her a confused look, she continued, "Let's see, he's working with a teacher approved for the course by Headmaster Dumbledore, who's almost universally adored. Who's going to be believed; him or a couple of first years?"

Sally blanched. "But we can't do nothing! It's only a matter of time before he tries to hurt somebody...!"

"I think he already has." Edith said. "Remember the troll, Sally?" Her Hufflepuff friend's eyes widened. "Do you think it's a coincidence that the 'safest school in Britian' had a security breech the same year the 'Girl Who Lived' arrived?"

"Probably not," Daphne muttered; she was starting to look pale herself.

"As for what he wants...?" Edith left the bathroom and started to pace around the dorm. "Remember what we discovered earlier? That Philosopher's Stone on the third floor? Who wouldn't want that... perhaps a man who attempted to take over Britain in the past?"

"And he's possessed one of the teachers; he probably knows what the defences are and will be able to get past them!" Sally finished her thought, alarmed.

Edith nodded. "Exactly."

"That's not good. That's _really_ not good," Tracey fretted. "What do we do?"

Edith turned around, faced her friends and smirked. "Isn't it obvious? We should steal it first. And to do that...we're going to need a bigger team."

 _ ****~After Dinner, in the Library~****_

"Voldemort is _here_?!" Flora demanded. Hestia squeaked in alarm, her usually friendly and smiling face unusually pale.

Edith had collected all her friends/companions and summoned them to the library. Dancia joined them first, and Hermione had brought along Cho Chang; the two had become pretty close due to working together often in class. Susan and Hannah had ditched first class Hufflepuff annoyance Zacharias Smith in order to catch up; the boy had an annoying swaggar and liked to brag about how he was 'descended from Hegla Hufflepuff herself'. Neville and Ron turned up a little late, but they arrived in time. Hestia, Flora and Blaise also showed up in a group.

"He's got to be here for the Philosopher's Stone," Hermione said, face flushed. "We have to tell the Headmaster-"

"Hermione, he'd never believe us!" Blaise pointed out. "Besides, we're not supposed to know what's on the third floor, remember?"

"We have to get to the Stone before he does," Sally said with determination.

"But how are we supposed to get past the traps?" Hannah asked, biting her lip. "Remember what happened to Terry?" She was referring to the Hufflepuff boy who had lost an arm thanks to his curiosity about the forbidden floor.

"Maybe we can trick details out of a someone who knows about them?" Dancia suggested. "That could help us get get past them."

"Good idea," Cho's brow furrowed with thought. "Hm, if I had to guess I'd say the defences were set up by the Headmaster and the teachers he trusts. That leaves...five walls between us and the Stone."

"Professor Pomona probably left a dangerous plant down there." Neville said. "Maybe it's the Devil's Snare; that's the most dangerous one we've seen so far."

"But if it's supposed to be a wall, why would they show us how to disarm it?" Susan wondered. There was a short silence as the group contemplated this. "That doesn't seem very smart..."

"Hagrid!" Ron said suddenly. When everyone turned to look at him, he went red at the ears for a second before saying, "Hagrid probably contributed something. He's the most likely to tell us something out of everyone involved."

Dancia looked impressed. "You're smart for a Gryffindor! Let's go now; he can't refuse us as a group."

"A Malfoy just complemented a Weasley. It's definitely the end of times," Blaise muttered. Flora snickered at the remark.

As a group, the first years got out of the library and hurried out of the school down to Hagrid's hut. When Edith knocked on the door, she heard Fang barking, a strange hissing noise, and Hagrid yelling, "Justa minute!"

He opened the door and nearly jumped when he saw the group clustered outside his door. "Edith! Chil'ren, what're you all doing out so late?"

"We wanted to chat with you," Dancia said innocently. "Is that okay?"

"W-well, I-it's so nice of you too show up," Hagrid stammered, looking oddly alarmed. "B-But I'm k-kind of d-dealing with something-"

In the middle of his remark, a stream of fire burst over the giant's head, singing the top of his head. Hagrid immediately turned around and headed back inside. Edith cautiously stepped in after him and found a small, red scaled dragon sitting on his table.

"Dragon!" Blaise gushed, walking in and stopping at the side of the table. "Isn't he beautiful? It's a Northern breed, you can tell by the scales!"

"Hagrid," Susan started in alarm, staring at the creature. "Where did you get that?"

"This is Norbert; I got him from an egg I won in Poker!" Hagrid said cheerfully.

"Hagrid, dragon breeding is illegal in downtown London!" Susan exclaimed, aghast. "You're going to get yourself arrested!"

"B-But he's just a baby!" Hagrid protested. "He's not going to hurt anything. He'll just stay in my cabin!"

Blaise seemed to snap out of his cuteness overloaded state at this. "Hagrid, before too long he's going to be twice the size of your house," He pointed out.

Edith, meanwhile, was distracted by something else that had been said... "Hagrid, who gave you the dragon egg?"

Hagrid shrugged. "I don' rightly know. He had his head covered and he wasn't from 'round these parts. He played a card game with me and offered the egg as a waver. I told 'em that I deal with all sorts of dangerous creatures – just like Fluffy!"

"Fluffy?" Sally asked warily.

"He's an adorable little Cerberus cub I got a while back!" Hagrid said cheerfully, not noticing several of the students balk at this. "He looks scary, but he's as sweet as can be – I told 'em that all you need to do is play him a little tune, and he'll go right to sleep."

 _ ****~Outside the hut~****_

"Well, now we know how to get inside." Edith said grimly. "And I think its safe to say that Quirrel knows too."

"But what about Hagrid?" Neville protested. "If he gets caught, they'll pack him off to Azkaban for at least a year!"

The group stood in silence for a minute before Ron carefully raised his hand. "I...um...one of my older brothers – Charlie – he works on a dragon reserve way out to the east," He started. "He could probably take care of Norbert and bring him some place safe."

"But what about the stone?! We can't wait on that!" Hannah said anxiously.

"Take it easy, everyone." Edith ordered. Her friends all turned towards her, waiting for some sort of plan. "Here's what we're going to do – Ron, Neville, Hestia, Cho, you get in contact with Charlie Weasley and arrange Norbert's transfer. The rest of us will go and collect the Philosopher's Stone. Remember to keep an eye out for trouble – we're not supposed to be out after dark."

Ron nodded. "Okay. Charlie usually stays awake until just after eleven, so I can probably call him..."

"Professor Snape's office has a floo in it, and he's out at a convention tonight." Blaise said. "I'll lead the way."

"Be careful, Hermione," Cho said before the four of them hurried back towards the school.

Nodding, Edith observed her friends. "Does everyone have their wands?" She asked. When she was met with noises of agreement, she said, "Then let's go get that stone."

She hadn't made the connection yet, but Dumbledore had indeed arranged events in the hopes that Edith would attempt to 'protect' the stone.

However, he wasn't counting on her decision not to wait until the last moment – and to desire to keep the stone to herself.

 **End Chapter**

 _ **Yeah, Edith plans to steal and keep the Stone, since it would play a useful role in the whole 'taking over the world' thing. Nothing like an influx of gold to throw of people's economies after all - not to mention the extended live expectancy.**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	9. Chapter 9

**Cult Potter**

 _ **Wanda: I'm compressing the timeline at the end of PS because one, it's easier on the flow of the story, and two, I would rather not just retell PS because that book was already written. It was called the Philosopher's Stone. That and Harry didn't have anyone to delegate dealing with Norbert to while he went looking for the stone.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**_

 **Chapter 8: Confrontation**

"Is Quirrel still in the teacher's lounge?"

"Sounds like it." Flora had bought an experimental item off the Weasley Twins a few weeks ago – an eavesdropping device dubbed the 'expendable ear'. The twins, despite their low grades in a lot of their classes, were budding geniuses. The glitching item confirmed that the possessed teacher was yet to sneak off to get the stone. "And it sounds like Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape are there as well."

"Good." Edith checked the power setting on her tazer. She had set it to max just in case; hopefully Fluffy wouldn't be too difficult to subdue but last resort items should always be kept. "Any sign of our resident poltergeist?"

"No, but he might still show up," Hermione noted in concern.

"Then we better get going."

The group nodded grimly and set off for the third floor. Flora looked more and more excited along the way; the blonde Slytherin loved violence. Hermione, usually a teacher's pet of the highest order, seemed a bit torn but determined to follow through on her decision. Blaise kept in stride with Edith, acting as the group's lookout along with Tracey.

Meanwhile, Ron was leading the group effort to get Norbert transferred. What the four didn't realize was that Theodore Nott was stalking them in hopes of getting Edith into trouble. However, even if he did catch them it would only continue to distract the teachers from the group heading to the third floor.

Edith was the first to reach the door on the third floor. She waved Daphne up to the front and nodded. Daphne pulled a glass flute out of her bottomless pouch. It was an expensive gift from her mother; the honey blonde haired girl was a talented musician and loved music.

Opening the door, Edith and Daphne moved inside. Sure enough, a massive three headed hound was sitting in the middle of the room. Just under its front paws was a trap door.

Fluffy growled when he spotted the intruders into his 'nest'. Quickly Daphne raised her flute and began to play an arrangement of 'Amazing Grace'. Fluffy eyed her for a moment and padded forward a few steps. Daphne winced but kept playing. Fluffy's three sets of eyes drooped, and he lay down on the ground in front of her and fell asleep.

"Aww." Flora cooed, reaching out and petting Fluffy's middle head. "He's so precious."

Edith walked forward and knelt next to the trap door. Blaise helped her pull the door open and together they looked down into the black abyss. Hermione cast a bluebell flame with her wand and cast it down into the darkness; a huge green mass shifted and groaned.

"Devil's Snare. Neville was right." Edith murmured. "Everyone, wands out – once you hit the plant, cast a flame charm."

She went in first; Blaise and Hermione right behind her. Edith winced as she hit the squirming mass of tentacles; she pointed her wand straight up and snapped, "Lumos!"

Flora hurtled down from above and hit the plant right next to her as the light filled the area. "Ugh. Gross." Her fellow Slytherin growled, as they slipped down past the plant and onto the floor below it. "Somebody's been reading too much creepy Japanese tentacle hentai."

"What?" Edith asked, confused.

"Trust me, you don't wanna know." Flora said.

Blaise offered Hermione his hand to balance her. The bookworm smiled gratefully at him as Tracey, Dancia, Sally and Daphne all dropped down one after another. "Thank you."

"No problem," Blaise said with a small smile.

Daphne made a face as she cleaned off her favourite birthday gift with a quick spell. She was the only other person who'd gotten the implication of Flora's 'manga' comment. "Ugh."

"You're really good, Daphne." Sally complimented her. The petite Hufflepuff looked like she'd been given an adrenaline makeover; her hazel eyes were almost glowing in the dark. It was a good look on her, Edith thought absently. "I think Fluffy likes you."

"Maybe," Daphne said, looking a little guilty when a faint, sad 'wuff' sounded from the above floor. "If he sticks with Hagrid, I could play for him again."

"Is everyone alright?" "Mm-hmm." "Good."

The group walked across the darkened floor and pushed the ancient wooden door open. Immediately they were brought into a room with a high ceiling, full of jittery keys with wings. In the middle of the room was an old broomstick.

"Great. It's a flying course." Dancia muttered. She hated flying, especially thanks to their first proper lesson when her broomstick had bucked her off a couple feet off the ground.

"There's only one broom," Susan noted. "Why would you assume that a person would try to take the Stone alone? Wouldn't it be wiser to assume they would bring help?"

"Well, this is based on the idea that you should take a very sought after object and put it in a school full of vulnerable children," Sally said sarcastically. "I don't think that once you've made _that_ leap, you're bound to set everything up very cleverly."

Hermione had made her way across the floor and was examining the lock. "It won't open to an unlocking charm; we'll need the actual key." She reported. "It's probably an old one, with rust and an ornate shape. Can you guys see anything like that?"

The nine students wandered under the various keys for a few minutes before Blaise let out an exclamation and pointed upwards. Sure enough, a heavy bronze key – quite different looking from the rest – was floating in the middle of the pack.

"The keys are probably charmed to attack," Hermione warned Daphne as she mounted the ancient broomstick. "We'll try to hold them off, but you might want to be quick."

Hermione and Flora were the only ones who knew an immobilization spell. Daphne pulled to the left when the first horde of keys went after her, allowing her companions to freeze them in place. The Slytherin easily snatched the feeble key out of the air and pulled it down to the door.

Once they got through that door, they found themselves standing at the foot of a massive wizard chess set. "Pity Ron isn't here," Blaise said. "He's brilliant at this."

"...I've played chess a couple times." Sally offered.

"I have as well," Dancia said, clasping her hands together. "My mother is very fond of it; I've been playing since I was five."

"Great," Edith said, pleased. "You're the strategists, then."

"What pieces should we be, though?" Blaise eyed the pawns with some trepidation.

Edith walked to and fro in front across the black side of the board, her mind whirring. "Okay...Dancia, you're the Queen. Hermione, you take the Rook on the far right. Blaise, you're that Knight." Her friends hurried over to their positions as the pieces walked off the board. Edith examined the board for another second before continuing, "Tracey, Daphne, you two are the Bishops. Sally, you're the other Knight, Susan, the other Rook...Flora, you're..."

"A pawn?" Edith waited for her friend to go nuts and unleash an angry rant, but Flora just set her expression in grim determination. "Well, I better aim for the other side, huh?"

"...and I suppose I'll be the King." Edith finished, giving the other girl a look of gratitude.

Someone had to be take the most vulnerable role.

Wizard chess was violent. Most of their pawns got smashed by the aggressive white chess pieces. The White Queen was particularly vicious; she took Blaise and threw him off to the side of the room. He groaned and passed out, much to the dismay of his friends. Susan sacrificed herself to start luring the White King into a trap; meanwhile Edith and Hermione used the castle manoeuvre to put the remaining rook in the necessary position.

Tracey grimaced as she examined how the White Queen was protecting the King. Flora was nearly at the other side of the board; if she made it she could become a Rook and complete the trap. But the Queen could still cut her off, and the plan may fall apart.

"I have to draw her away," She said. Taking a deep breath, she muttered, "This is going to hurt." Before anyone could stop her, she walked across the board and took a pawn very near the White Queen. The enspelled piece took the bait; Tracey went flying and landed in a heap next to Blaise and Susan.

Daphne cried out in concern but remained on her square; Flora promptly stepped on the last square and declared, "Checkmate."

The King turned and threw his crown at her feet. Immediately the six remaining students ran across the room to where their friends were lying. Daphne knelt down next to her closest friend and checked her pulse. "They're all still breathing," She gasped. "But someone has to take them back."

Susan groaned and sat up; when Dancia put a hand on her shoulder she muttered, "I can walk; I didn't have far to fly."

"We'll do it," Dancia said, turning towards Edith. "You, Hermione and Sally – you have to get the stone. Come back and meet us at the Hospital Wing. Promise?"

Edith nodded weakly. Seeing Susan, Blaise and Tracey get hurt had sent cold shudders down her spine. _I can't put them in any more danger. This was my idea..._ "Go, and hurry. Be careful for Quirrel..."

The group split up, Sally and Hermione staying by Edith's side as they made their way further down into the chamber. They reached a logic puzzle; Professor Snape's. A wall of fire consumed the doorway, leaving it unpassable.

"Hermione?" Edith asked simply.

The Ravenclaw nodded and examined the script for a few long minutes.

She snapped her fingers, walked to the edge of the table and picked up a small vial, grimacing. "There's only enough for two of us," She said. "Sally, you go with Edith. I'll stay here and act as a lookout. If you hear sparks going off, that means someone's approaching okay?"

Edith dug her fingernails into her hands to keep them from shaking; her friends were doing so much for her without her even asking. Trying not to be overwhelmed by her rising emotions, she nodded and drank half the vial before handing it to Sally.

The two of them then walked into the final room.

Edith blinked. She wasn't sure what to think. The room was completely empty except for a familiar looking mirror...

"What?" She muttered, walking up to it. Sally followed only to stop a pace behind her, surprised by what she was seeing in the reflection. "A mirror? Is this another riddle?"

What she saw in the reflection hadn't changed since she stumbled across it at Yule. Was...was the stone not here? But that didn't make sense – why put up so many defences for an empty room! It had to be here somewhere...

She felt Sally touching her arm. Edith turned to face her friend and nearly jumped. Sally was holding her hand up to her, a glowing red stone in her hand. "This is it," The Hufflepuff murmured somewhat unnecessarily. "The Philosopher's Stone."

"Ah...how did...?" Edith looked between Sally and the mirror in confusion. "What did I miss?"

Sally gave her a tiny shrug in response. "I don't know. It's probably a spell of Headmaster Dumbledore's. Who knows what goes on in his head..."

Sparks fluttered by the door. Cursing, Edith pulled Sally behind her and pulled out both her wand and her tazer. She pressed the stone into her pocket, all her nerves alert. It could only be one of two people, and since Dumbledore was asleep in his office...

Professor Quirrel...Voldemort...walked into the room, frowning when he saw the two young girls standing in the room.

"Dear sweet Edith Potter...what a surprise to see you here before me."

"That makes both of us," Edith said flatly, schooling her face so as not to show emotion. She faced down the man, she could sense Sally bristling with both fear and anger as the tense standoff began...

"You've surprised me quite a few times this year, child – and I say that with all honesty. The Potter girl, Dumbledore's greatest victory, hero of the common people...in Slytherin, the most noble of houses? When everyone thought you would be the Headmaster's pet Gryffindor? Perhaps you _are_ destined for greatness...though the company you keep is less than desirable."

Sally clenched her fists.

"She's my friend," Edith responded. "She's stayed at my side. It doesn't matter where she comes from."

Voldemort snorted. "She's a muggleborn. She won't amount to anything. Even if she managed to dig out a foothold in our world, she would still be cast down. I can assure you of that."

"The world can change." Sally said bravely, jutting her chin out in defiance. Edith couldn't put to words how she admired Sally for saying that and standing her ground, despite how clearly frightened she was. She would become a deadly force when she got older.

Voldemort gave her a look of contempt mixed with amusement before returning his attention to Edith. He walked across the hall – stumbling slightly, twitching, as if the body he was inhabiting was coming apart at the seams. It was truly unsettling to see. "I see you've found the Mirror of Erised. Clever of Dumbledore, to hide the stone there..."

"Erised?" Edith asked, hoping to stall a bit longer until she came up with a strategy; she hadn't expected Voldemort to come to them. They had planned the day carefully, hadn't given him any indication they were on to him or that they knew what was on the third floor.

She wondered what, or who, could have tipped him off.

"Mmm. I suppose you're still too young to understand...it is an old creation. The mirror of desire. When a person looks into it, they can see what they want the most in the world at that moment...so child, tell me. What do you see?"

Edith turned and looked at the mirror. Again, she saw her future self – that tall, warrior queen, surrounded by her friends and companions. This time, her parents were there as well; her mother and her father, smiling proudly down at her.

"I see myself in the centre of the world," She said. "I'm surrounded by those I've chosen; my family. I have a crown. There are people of every kind bowing at my feet."

Voldemort turned towards her, and this time his expression held genuine surprise. "Is that so...? I admit, that wasn't what I was expecting."

"What were you expecting?" Edith asked coldly, staring straight ahead while discreetly tightening her grip on Sally's hand and pulling her friend closer to her belt. Sally blinked and then suppressed a smile of understanding when her fingers brushed against the tazer. "Some pretty, cookie cutter heroine who recoils at such an idea?"

"Yes." Voldemort answered bluntly. "You were the cause of my first defeat, and Dumbledore would have wanted to preserve you for my inevitable return."

"You'd think I was a nuclear missile locked up in a silo." Edith muttered, her eyes hardening. Her right hand move to her arm, where one of several long scars Vernon had given her still remained. You can't really lean on a Dark Lord for accurate information, but she had seen Dumbledore once in a way that didn't make her want to trust him.

Sally, meanwhile, discreetly plucked the tazer from Edith's belt and pressed it against her side.

Voldemort stepped around her until he was directly in front of both girls. "Hmm...you're a unique child, Potter. I value wisdom and bravery; your parents both showed those traits...I would have rather have let your mother live, but alas, she would not step aside when I gave her the chance. You would make a good Death Eater, child...this world will never welcome you and your friends without a olive branch extended from someone like me."

"I agree. The world needs to be changed." Edith said, staring straight ahead. Voldemort leaned closer to her, awaiting her response. "...but you killed my parents."

Sally acted then, springing forward and ramming a full powered tazer into the man's stomach. Voldemort howled and dropped his wand; Edith stepped forward and stomped on it, snapping it in half. Then she shot forward, tackling him and knocking him onto the ground. Edith pinned his head down by her hands, only to yelp in surprise when smoke rose up from her fingers. To her amazement, Voldemort was suddenly burning alive under her hands. Sally knelt down next to her and hit him with the tazer again, pinning his writhing hand to prevent him from grabbing Edith's neck.

The man burned into ashes and shattered on the ground; a bright red aura surrounded Edith's hands and face. Sally couldn't see it, but Edith looked skyward, whispered, "Mother?", and collapsed on the ground, passing into unconsciousness. Mere seconds after this, a cloud of smoke rose from Quirrel's ashes; it screamed and tried to pass through Sally, but it wasn't strong enough to do her any harm.

Once he had left, Sally scrambled over to Edith's side and slowly propped her up against her. When she managed that, she limped over to where Hermione had been hiding and asked her for help. Together, they brought the unconscious Edith back to the entrance of the floor.

Daphne had come back to wait for them. "The teachers are starting to sweep the school. We have to go." She said, before pulling out Edith's invisibility cloak which she had collected from the dorm after getting Tracey to the hospital.

The four students hid under the cloak and made their way back down to the dungeons and into the Slytherin girls dorm. The first thing Sally noticed was that Pansy Parkinson's bed was empty. They placed Edith down on her bed and pulled the blanket over her.

"Sally, your house is closer, so Hermione you borrow this for now." Daphne instructed, handing the cloak to Hermione. The bookworm took it very carefully in her hands."Don't get caught."

"That goes to you, too." Sally said with a small smile.

 _ ****~The Next Day~****_

Edith woke up late and slowly. Blinking heavily, she let out a small 'woof' when Tristan woke and pawed happily at her stomach. _Back in the dorm...?_ She shifted heavily and sat up, her hand going into her pocket. Her fingers hit the stone, and she pulled it out to examine it.

The Philosopher's Stone. It was beautiful to behold.

Quickly Edith put it back away and got up a little unsteadily. She had to see if her friends were alright... Tracey, Blaise, and Susan had all gotten hurt...

"Edith!"

Flora and Hestia had been waiting at the doorway. "Oh good, you're awake!" Hestia said in relief. "You won't have to go to the hospital wing."

"Tracey? Blaise?" Edith started, only pausing when Flora waved a hand.

"They're all fine. Their injuries were superficial, and they headed out for lunch a minute ago. It was tough, erm, convincing Poppy not to report the injuries, but we managed it!"

Hestia gave her sister a disapproving look, so Edith decided not to ask to preserve her ability to plead the fifth amendment. (the USA had some useful things in their constitution, even if they didn't uphold them all the time.)

"Hermione and Sally got back to their dorms without getting caught. Ron, Neville, Cho and I were less lucky, but we ended up being a useful distraction," Hestia said.

"What happened?" Edith asked.

"Nott and Parkinson followed us out and up to the tower. They thought you'd be with us and figured you'd be busted for being out after curfew. We managed to get Norbert off with Charlie Weasley before they called Professor Snape and McGonagall down on us, so we've just got a night's detention out with Hagrid in the forest."

"'Just' a night in the Forest," Edith echoed in amusement.

Hestia giggled and responded, "You're the one who went off to steal from a Dark Lord."

"Quirrel's been confirmed dead, so no classes today while Dumbledore pulls his hair out...or maybe his beard," Flora said with a snicker. "because none of our 'landing party' was caught. They missed us by an inch, yes, but we weren't caught."

"That's good." Edith said.

"So you have the...?" Hestia started, only to trail off when Edith pulled the stone out of her pocket. Both Carrow sisters eyed it with undisguised awe. Edith nodded, and pressed a finger against her lips in a 'shush' gesture before putting it back away.

"Let's go get some lunch," Edith suggested teasingly. Tristan barked in agreement, and the three girls left their dorm to settle their hungry stomachs.

 _ ****~In the Great Hall~****_

Dumbledore had a headache.

When the wards at the third floor had been triggered, he had given Voldemort a 'nudge' towards the prize he so desperately wanted. He thought that the person in the third floor had to have been Edith, so while it was a bit premature, he decided it was time for her to meet the man who murdered her parents and start preparing as her role as a Light Icon.

But instead, Quirrel was dead, Voldemort's spirit was gone, the Philosopher's Stone was gone, and Edith had seemingly been asleep in her dorm the entire time since she was nowhere to be found at the scene. While Lily's protection would have been enough to destroy Voldemort, the magical taxation should have left her completely unconscious.

Dumbledore didn't think that any of Edith's friends would have actually confronted Voldemort by her side. Since it was Potter's role, nothing else.

But now, what was he going to do? The stone wasn't something he had truly planned to loose, even if he was going to 'destroy' it after the fact. And he didn't even have a good grasp on what happened.

Edith walked in late for lunch alongside the Carrow sisters followed by her faithful dog, having slept in due to nightmares the previous night. The girl wasn't acting oddly at all; she sat down with Dancia and Blaise and started chatting with them. A moment later, Sally Anne Perks, Hermione Granger, and Susan Bones all travelled over from their respective tables to join her.

Various older Slytherins looked as though their dinner had been replaced with manure, but the younger children embraced this and several children, such as Maya Pritchard, Lilith Moon and Grant Richter started tentatively speaking with these other housemates.

Dumbledore was befuddled by this. As much as he wanted to bring all these children together, he hadn't put out nearly enough offers and incentives for the house of green and silver to respond so positively in a comparatively small amount of time.

Edith smiled and said something to Tracey and Grant, causing both first years to break out laughing. Professor Snape was watching that with what could almost constitute a smile, seeing how his house was beginning to _flourish_ instead of being turned away by the rest of the school. Cho Chang and even nervous, cripplingly shy Neville Longbottom also made their way over to the Slytherin table in order to chat with their friends.

"I believe we have a first here at Hogwarts!" McGonagall remarked in awe. "I wondered when I saw Miss Potter helping Neville in that first class, but this is quite something! Children in all houses, sitting at the same table."

"It's truly remarkable," Flitwick agreed. "I've seen her working with miss Granger in my classes; she almost exclusively works with miss Potter. It warms my heart to see such different people making close friendships here."

Dumbledore said nothing, which caused Pomona to look at him in surprise. "Professor, I thought you'd be the first to comment on this."

"Ah, forgive me Pomona, I find my mind on other matters." Dumbledore said.

"Of course, sir, but it couldn't hurt to look at the silver linings before the Aurors arrive to investigate." The Hufflepuff head suggested.

"Perhaps I should...worry comes with age." Dumbledore looked at Edith again. She was still engaged with her friends. If she knew anything, she was choosing not to disclose it to him. And that thought didn't make him very happy. He was going to be her mentor, after all.

He would raise her to be the martyr of the Light. There always had to be one for things to change.

 **End Chapter**

 _ **I'm fairly pleased with how this chapter turned out. I hope you guys like it too - but hey guys! Please review! I desire your opinions and need to know if there's more to think about while this story continues to bear fruit!**_

 _ **So please, Read and Review please!**_


	10. Chapter 10

**Cult Potter**

 _ **Wanda: Well, this was fun to write. Merry Easter everyone, I hope the Bunny was good to you! (especially if he had an accent. Rise of the Guardians is a**_ **fun _movie, let me tell you) He was good to me, so I had enough of a sugar high to complete this chapter._**

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. (duh)_**

 **Chapter 9: Summer's Light**

Once back in the 'protective' embrace of Little Whining, Edith wanted to start experimenting.

She came home with more books than she had left – many coming from her various orders from both Knockturn and Diagon Alley. Once a deeply scowling Vernon had driven her home, she immediately went first to her room (tossing out Dudley artifacts that he had attempted to move in there) to begin to plan.

She barricaded her room, leaving only Tristan's dog door for food to be delivered and the window for owls to bring her letters from her friends open. Then she pulled the heavy dark blue blinds over the windows and dropped off the two other trunks she had purchased before returning to Number 4 Privet Drive.

(nothing was more amusing than forcing Dudley and Vernon to help her carry them. Her uncle's expression alone was worth the price of admission, and Petunia had either forgotten about the underage magic restriction or thought that the rules might have changed)

The first one was a potions kit, complete with a cauldron, a set up fire pit so she wouldn't burn the house down, various ingredients and several books on theoretical creations that were yet to be tested. Edith set up a couple music stands left over from the mercifully short time Petunia had tried to get Dudley interested in the fine arts and placed the books open to their relative pages.

The second trunk contained various tree bark, such as willow, oak, holly, cherry and the like. Along with that were a couple 'redacted' cores rejected from places like Ollivaders, but still had some latent magic that she could mess around with and attempt to combine.

The third trunk contained metals, pots, flowers, beans and other miscellaneous objects that would make for good testing.

Once everything was unpacked, Edith pulled out _Advanced Transfiguration_ and _Preventative Measures: the History of the Statue of Secrecy._

Tristan sniffed one of the flower pots and looked over at his master quizzically.

"I know it all probably smells funny, Tristan," Edith said, her eyes on the books, "But I'm going to need them all for this testing."

Tristan padded over and sat by her leg. Edith flipped through _Preventative Measures_ until she reached 'The Underage Magic restriction.' "See this, Tristan?" She asked her canine companion. "The wizard government has ways of tracking the spells cast by everyone under the age of seventeen. The reason given is that its meant to prevent stupid kids from exposing the wizarding world, but what it really does is further the divide between us and our wizard born counterparts. See, Dancia can practice and learn magic at home without any issue, but I'm not allowed to do anything – even though my aunt and uncle are well aware of magic and I could easily practice in the attic or the basement to avoid detection."

Tristan whined, his fur bristling slightly. Edith smirked. "I know. It's complete bull. That's where these experiments comes in."

Placing this book aside, she pulled open one of her drawers and retrieved a box of matches. "The trace is a spell cast on my wand. I can't just remove it because that would set off an alarm at the Ministry and get me in trouble with the law. I might even get expelled from Hogwarts. We can't have that."

Walking over to the carton of woods, Edith began to paw through the various pieces of bark and sticks. "Of course, theoretically, that _isn't_ my only option. Instead of _removing_ the spell, I may be able to _suppress_ it if I line up the right variables. Then I can use however much magic outside of the wizard borders – as much as I want – without anyone knowing."

Tristan tilted his head to the right.

Edith smiled and said, "Grant Richter and Lilith Moon talked to me about potions. It gave me a new appreciation for the art."

Tristan kept staring.

"...and Hermione convinced me to read Frankenstein." Edith added, frowning at her familiar. "What? It's good."

"Anyhow, I'm planning to achieve this end before summer is out. Not just for myself, but for Hermione, Sally and the rest of my friends as well."

Kneeling by the cauldron, Edith struck the match – an earlier present from Matt – and started a flame. Pouring some water and potions mix in, the redhead crossed the room and examined _Advanced Transfiguration_ and _Preventative Measures,_ alongside various other texts referring to tracking magic.

"...hm...now, let's see..." grabbing the defective phoenix feather core, Edith ground it up and sprinkled it into the cauldron. When the bubbling steadied, the redhead pulled out a strand of her hair and picked up the oak core.

"Now, in the likely event that this explodes on me-" Edith cast protective charms over her bed, trunk, dog and herself before dropping the hair and the oak in the cauldron.

From the outside of the house, it seemed like the a fan had temporarily been put on high. From the inside, the ceiling downstairs rattled and caused a light to fall onto the table, shattering on the kitchen table and causing Petunia to jump out of her skin.

Edith waved the smoke away and examined the mess. "...Well, at least I don't need a new cauldron." She said. "So oak obviously isn't going to cut it. Let's try a different combination..."

 _ ****~Two Days Later~****_

"What the _devil_ is that little freak up to?" Vernon sputtered when the ceiling thudded for the thirtieth time over the last forty eight hours.

Edith hadn't emerged at all over that time, only taking minutes out of the day to stick her head out of the window to speak with Duncan, Piers or Matt or yelling for someone to bring her some breakfast/lunch/dinner. The Dursleys heard banging, bursts of fire from under the doorway, multi coloured smoke seeping through the cracks of the doorway, and the disconcerting sound of a soon to be twelve year old swearing like a seasoned marine.

"I don't know." Petunia said, thoroughly pale in the face. She was frightened by, once again, having magic as a constant presence in her life.

"I bet she's brewing poison." Vernon growled. "Planning to kill us all in our beds. I'd stake my life on it! She wants to inherit the money and the property with us out of the way."

"I don't think a poison would make noises like that." Petunia said nervously.

"Mummy, won't you make her stop?" Dudley whimpered. Edith's experiments were keeping him up for long hours at night. Since he was trying to make a name for himself with a couple other brain dead kids on the street, he had gotten a black eye due to his lack of co ordination.

Piers and Duncan ran their own gang in Edith's absence; and she had made an impression on them. Their 'gang' had grown to include a dozen other boys and girls from similarly troubled backgrounds who came to rely on them and work as a team. Piers liked to brag to Edith about it, much to her mixed amusement and pleasure given her reactions when during the 'window chats'.

"I can't, Diddy darling." Petunia said tumultuously, looking nervously at her son.

"You're scared of her, aren't you?" Dudley demanded. "You're both scared of her!"

"Don't be ridiculous, son!" Vernon thundered at him, furious at the implication. "The little freak is nothing to be afraid of."

Dudley shrank back in his chair, sulking and furious. His confidence had returned in spades during the time when Edith was at Hogwarts, so it got under his skin when she returned and uprooted his life with her presence again. He felt threatened by her and wanted her to turn into the punching bag he remembered from years before.

Without Edith around, Vernon's ire at work often spilled over to his wife and son. Naturally, both quietly blamed the witch for this, even though she was many miles away. While he hadn't hit either of them, it had put a significantly dent in their 'perfect' lifestyle.

Another huge boom shook the ceiling. A window cracked and Petunia flinched.

"I DID IT! I FUCKING DID IT! CHEW ON THAT, MINISTER FUDGE!" Edith's gleeful shrieking floated down from above.

"She did _what_?" Vernon hissed, staring at his wife.

"I don't know." Petunia insisted, eyeing the ceiling fearfully. "I really don't know, love..."

"YOU CAN'T TRACK ME NOW, MINISTRY! EDITH POTTER IS OFFICIALLY OFF THE F**KING GRID!"

"That means she's done now, right?" Dudley asked, scared.

"TIME TO OUTFIT THE WHOLE GANG!" Edith cheered.

 _ ****~Several More Days Later~****_

 _Dear Sally;_

 _This ring is one of the suppressors I managed to create so far. I checked it out with my wand, and I haven't gotten any notices from the Ministry. It's brilliant, and I've already thanked Daphne profusely for giving me the books and stuff for my experimentation. I've also scared the shit out of the Dursleys, but hell, they'll get used to it._

 _I have a few other ideas I want to attempt, but I don't think I can handle it by myself (Duncan and Piers aren't really much help in this place; I can't justify revealing magic to them) but maybe I can with some help. Do you think you can talk your parents into having you stay over at my place for a few days?_

 _-Edith_

 _ **-Line-**_

 _Dear Edith,_

 _You subverted the Ministry and bragged about it in your letters. You are brilliant and_ need _to be more careful. I managed to keep my dad from seeing the letter because our house elf Dobby deals with the menial work around our mansion._

 _I'm curious about your new 'mad scientist' streak. Perhaps I should be reading this 'Frankenstein' book as well. What else are you planning to do-? Wait, don't answer that straight out – be coy about it, write it in riddles. Trust me to be smart enough to figure it out._

 _Father works in the Ministry. I don't want you to get in trouble, but you've made me incredibly curious._

 _Your friend, Dancia_

 _ **-Line-**_

 _Dear Daphne,_

 _Have you read that muggle history book I got you? Edith's been ranting about transfiguring ions in magic in order to make electrical creations work better at Hogwarts, which sounds like a lot of fun to me! We'd be the only people in Hogwarts with cellphones and laptops. Think of the possibilities!_

 _Of course, its_ technically _illegal for her to be experimenting at home like this, but that underage magic law is bull anyway; everyone knows it restricts muggleborn learning. Besides, I haven't had anyone to binge watch Star Trek with since my eight years my senior sister went off to university. We can bring a mini TV and watch it together!_

 _Write back soon,_

 _Sally_

 _ **-Line-**_

 _Dear Edith,_

 _Aunt Ana says it's fine for us to hang out with you for a week; she's loaded down with work at the Dragon Safari and doesn't like leaving us home alone. I want to see this lab of yours for myself. Potions doesn't seem so boring now, huh?_

 _-Flora_

 _ **-Line-**_

 _My dear friend Flora,_

 _It is not potions. Its SCIENCE MAGIC! There is a margin of difference._

 _But yes, I'm glad you can come over. When can I expect you and Hestia?_

 _-Edith_

 _ **-Line-**_

 _Dear Tracey_

 _Have you heard of this show called "Star Trek?". You mentioned having "Cable" for your TV at your home, but I'm not sure if it runs on that channel. Sally introduced me to it when I visited her yesterday afternoon with Hermione._

 _For all the phenomenally silly costumes the aliens are given (except for the Klingons, in my humble opinion), it's such a remarkably intelligent series! All the episodes I saw had deep, complex thoughts brought forward – my favourite was "The Conscience of the King", from the original series. I dare not give it away if you haven't seen it. I haven't been so invested in any kind of play since I went to "The Lion and the Serpent!"_

 _If you have the series, please tell me. I would like to view it with you at some time._

 _Oh, and Happy Birthday my friend._

 _Daphne_

 _ **-Line-**_

 _Dear Neville,_

 _The Philosopher Stone turned my scrap metal into gold! Hahahaha! It really works!_

 _I've done some more reading on the familiar bond – you know, that gift that Daphne gave Tristan and I? Apparently, I'm not old enough to unlock the full potential yet, but when I turn fourteen I can look forward to calling Tristan to my side under any circumstances. Among other things! I may even be able to communicate with him directly. It's all very exciting!_

 _How are you holding up? Is your grandmother throwing you out any more windows, or was that a one time thing?_

 _-Edith_

 _ **-Line-**_

 _Dear Blaise_

 _I've gotten Daphne hooked on Star Trek! You have to come and join us sometime, we had popcorn and chocolate frogs and watched all the best episodes. We had a wonderful time! You've got to give it a try, for us? Please?_

 _From Tracey_

 _ **-Line-**_

 _Dear Edith_

 _Is it alright for us to show up at the start of August? That's when Auntie Ana's work is at its worst, so that's the best opportunity for us. So a five day sleepover would be cool? I'd love to spoil Tristan as much as possible!_

 _-Hestia_

 _ ****~The First of August~****_

Vernon opened the door early that morning to find a pair of grinning twins with wizard looking trunks standing on his doorstep.

"Hello Mr Dursley!" One girl said. She and her companion were virtually identical. Vernon felt his eye twitching.

"We're here to visit Edith. We'll be here for about five days, but we'll try to be as unobtrusive as possible!" The second girl said with an insincere smile.

Vernon's face turned a curious shade of purple. The girls both made their way around him, walked into the house uninvited (well, they were invited by The Freak, but Vernon _certainly_ hadn't invited them) and made their way straight up the stairs without saying 'hello' to Petunia.

"Edith!" Flora called as the twins walked across the hall. Given that the door was covered with smoke, dirt and stood out hilariously against the overly pristine style of the rest of the house, she had a pretty good idea which room was her friend's.

With a couple of thuds, the door was unlocked and swung open. Edith had dark shadows under her eyes and soot in her hair, but she was incredibly cheerful. "Flora! Hestia! Come on in. But, uh, watch your step – it's kind of a mess in here..."

The Carrow twins walked inside, stepping over a black hole in the wooden floor. Sure enough, except for the side with the bed which was still protected by a shield, the room was a complete mess. One picture frame was hanging off a single nail, the walls were dented and fracture and everything was covered in soot.

"I've just finished up my experimenting for the time being, so I haven't had a chance to clean up yet." Edith explained, shutting the door behind her friends. "It took a while to create those rings, and I was making a few other potions as well."

Hestia cooed at Tristan and started petting him; she was the only other person the hound was extremely affectionate towards. Flora, meanwhile, looked around the room and grinned slightly. "I'm guessing you'd like a little help with that?"

Edith smiled sheepishly. "Please?"

Without magic, it would have taken hours – if not a day or two – to bring the room back to a 'livable' state. However, the girls cleaned up the place in under twenty minutes. It wasn't perfect – it was still obvious that someone used this room as a testing lab – but now it was almost as shiny as the rest of the house.

 _ **-Line-**_

The girls spent the day in the park, hanging out, chatting, even making small talk with Piers and the gang when they crossed paths. (Duncan would look at Hestia like she was something he'd never seen before. Hestia didn't notice it at all, but Edith and Flora did.)

When the evening rolled around, the girls showered and changed into nightgowns. Edith's had no sleeves, exposing one of her scars.

Hestia and Flora had set up beds on the floor, and they were chatting quietly. When Edith walked in, absently petting Tristan when he nudged her, Flora looked up to ask her something only to come to an abrupt stop when she saw the scar.

Edith gestured for her to hold the question for a moment as she closed the door and walked over to the closet. Opening the door revealed a stack of gleaming gold bars. Edith placed a new bar on the pile and walked over to her bed.

"How'd that happen?" Flora asked.

Edith was silent for a moment. Then she said, "Have you ever had a real reason to distrust...or fear, your family?"

"No." Hestia said uneasily.

Edith shook her head. "Not your aunt, the woman who took you in...I meant your birth parents. Amycus Carrow."

The twins exchanged a look, wondering how to frame this, before Flora said, "Of course we did. You've probably heard all the terrible shit people say about him and Alecto?" When Edith nodded, she snorted and said, "Yeah, well, ninety percent of it is true. We lived with them until we were about four, when they got busted for...you know..." She knocked her hands together. "They managed to get away with serving You Know Who by claiming they were under his control, but when Aunt Ana made _that_ little detail obvious there was no escape."

"Auntie Ana was always the 'black sheep' of the family." Hestia said wistfully. "She's really wonderful, and she takes great care of us." She shivered. "But I've never been so glad then I was the day we got away from them."

"So, how'd that happen?" Flora repeated, gesturing to Edith's arm.

"Uncle Vernon happened." Edith said simply. "Until I was about...oh, until I was eight, this place was hell. I don't know if you saw that boot cupboard on your way up the stairs, but that used to be where I slept. They would lock me in there for days...without food...Dudley used to like to use me as a punching bag. One day, Vernon comes home in a rage and gets into the alcohol. I think he got passed up for a promotion at Grunnings, the place where he works...Aunt Petunia took Dudley out at once, to go shopping she said, but she left me behind. Vernon Dursley broke a wine bottle over my back. I had to go to the hospital and get seventy stitches."

Flora snarled wordlessly, while Hestia's eyes grew wide as dinner plates. "Why are you still with them?" She asked in shock.

"Because Uncle Vernon blamed it on me falling on the stairs. Somehow. And I don't have any other living relatives...or so I've been told." Edith swung her feet onto the bed and crossed her legs. "Believe me, the only reason I stay is because not long afterwards, I had my first big burst of magic and managed to cow them into submission. The only reason I stay is because I can't really leave...not without getting fancy."

"Getting fancy, like a normal court case? ...Or getting fancy, like paying them back for that abuse ten times over?" Flora suggested; with the grin on her face was a pretty clear indication of which option she would be advocating.

"The latter." Edith said, returning Flora's smirk while tossing the Philosopher's Stone in the air. "The first thing I want to ask is, are there any family trees for the Potters? Anything in official records that I might be able to discreetly get my hands on?"

"Oh, absolutely." Hestia said. "Genealogies are easy to come by in the Records level of the Ministry; if you file a request they'll usually send the related documents within a few days."

"Great." Edith said. "I'm guessing that I probably have a few distant second cousin or something, a name I might be able to use." Leaning back slightly, she asked, "Have you heard of Emancipation?"

"Yes. That's when you cut your parents off from yourself despite being under eighteen, right?" Hestia guessed.

Edith nodded. "Exactly."

"You plan on filing for that against the worthless sacks of flesh?" Flora guessed.

Edith shook her head and chuckled. "If I went for it right now, I wouldn't get a whole lot. Just barely enough money to rent an apartment. No, I want everything – and I want to _ruin_ this family."

She pointed at the closet. "That gold there? I plan on Vernon discovering it. He's a greedy, fat walrus, and I know he was renting my room out while I was at Hogwarts."

"You _plan_ on that?" Hestia asked quizzically. "Why?"

"Oh, that's easy." Edith leaned forward onto her elbows. "Uncle Vernon is in big business. And when you're up that high, some of the worst crimes you can commit are embezzlement and tax evasion. Now, what will people think if Uncle Vernon starts throwing around huge amounts of money – and I know he will if he finds it – more than his salary could afford, what will people suspect?"

"That he's stealing." Flora guessed, her grin growing a bit wider.

"Correct." The red haired Slytherin tapped her thumbs against the back of her hand. "It would be trivially easy for me to alter the tax returns – uncle hates 'number crunching', so he usually hands it off to Petunia who hands it off to me whenever her bridge club comes over. Then all I have to do is file them, and wait. Then once they're arrested, I'll throw in my abuse stories and demand emancipation, and it will be Christmas."

"That's...brilliant. That's very Slytherin." Hestia said; it seemed like she was beginning to share Flora's enthusiasm for this crime.

"I'll even be able to demand things in settlement...especially if I have an angry relative waiting in the wings." Edith added. "That's what the genealogy is for. I'll take the house and most other stuff of value under the magical relative's name, then I'll have a hideout and a meeting place for my little gang of witches and muggles alike."

"Your a mad, evil genius." Flora declared. "I _love_ it."

"I'm glad." Edith chuckled. "I've been laying the groundwork for this one since I was six."

"And it all happened because your aunt handed off the tax sheets to play socialite." Hestia smiled. "That's perfect."

"The only thing to keep in mind is that I don't want to leave the stone here over our second year." Edith gestured around the room. "Wouldn't want them stumbling on it. I also don't want to bring it back to school. So I was wondering – does your aunt go into your room much?"

"Only to clean it. And sometimes she defers that to Missy, our house elf." Flora said. "And Missy knows not to go into our drawers."

"Great. So it will stay with her while we're in school?" When the twins nodded, Edith smirked. "Good, so that's sorted. Now; let's make some gold."

 _ ****~Later~****_

At the end of the week, Edith had a closet half full of stacks of gold bars. As much as she loathed giving Vernon even temporary satisfaction in the dream of being rich, she also knew that her plan was starting. To be absolutely sure at least _one_ of the Durlseys would intrude upon the stash, she hung a "Keep Out" sign on the handles.

Hestia couldn't look her uncle straight in the eye without giggling, so the twins excused themselves on the fifth day, heading off with their aunt.

Anastasia Carrow was a fairly pretty, tall and warm person; it had always made her stick out like a sore thumb in her 'orthodox' family. She greeted Edith warmly and seemed familiar with muggle society to an extent that Vernon seemed stunned that she was a witch. And as soon as she was out of earshot, Ana called the man 'whalespawn', much to the amusement of her nieces. Flora already had the Philosopher Stone in her pocket, and planned to bury it beneath her notebooks and assorted papers in her desk drawer.

A day later, Edith herself went off to visit Susan. Her aunt, Amelia Bones, was a tough, no nonsense kind of person who secretly loved children, given how she treated her niece. Amelia was the head of the DMLE and a huge potential ally, so Edith made a note to be on her best behaviour the entire time she was staying with her friend. Amelia seemed to appreciate it, for she too was a busy woman given her profession.

"So, how long do you think this year at Hogwarts will go before something messed up happens?" Susan joked.

"Give it at least a month." Edith responded, tipping back her glass of milk and taking a good, long drink.

 **End Chapter**

 _ **Something horrible befalling the Dursleys always puts a spark in a story, doesn't it?! That will be fun to bring to the fold...I'm guessing around third year, but I haven't got that nailed down yet.**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	11. Chapter 11

**Cult Potter**

 _ **Wanda: Bridge to second year! This one is going to be fun; Gildroy Lockhart and the Heir of Slytherin both in one year! Edith is probably going to actually attempt to get rid of a teacher for the first time after a Defense Against The Dark Arts.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**_

 **Chapter 10: Starts and Stops and Many Meetings**

"I need to be driven down to Diagon Alley again."

"Again?!" Vernon demanded. "Don't you already have-?"

"The new class list came in, and there are a number of new things I need." Edith interrupted, waving the page over her head. "We have a new Defence professor, and I need to get his books. And there's at least one new class I need to prepare for, sooooo let's go going."

Edith unceremoniously grabbed Petunia by the arm and started dragging her towards the front door. The memory of her niece's constantly exploding room was still fresh (and they still didn't know what she had been up to that entire time), so Petunia reluctantly followed suit. Tristan was barking in excitement; the familiar bond was growing stronger so the pair were beginning to share some emotions, though it was still acute enough that Edith hadn't noticed.

Once they were on the road, Edith started reading aloud from her books and list. Petunia pretended to ignore her, but her hands were turning white from a now familiar mixture of fury and stress.

"Let's see here... _Break with a Banshee,_ Gildroy Lockhart... _Year with a Yeti,_ Gildroy Lockhart... _Gadding with Gouls,_ Gildroy Lockhart...and they're all thirty galleons apiece. All this for one class?" Edith muttered as she sat in the driver's seat, going over the price list.

Tristan gave an irritated _wuff_ from the back seat. " _Magical Me,_ Gildroy Lockhart, not required but highly recommended...bloody hell, that's more books demanded for a single subject than the rest of the teachers combined. This guy must have an ego on him..."

Petunia snorted. Edith threw her a sideways look; her aunt's eyes were fixed on the road. Tristan leaned his head over Edith's shoulder, panting. The red haired girl laughed and rubbed his muzzle with her free hand, "It's okay boy, I'll get it." She pressed the button that would roll his window down. Tristan barked with delight and stuck his head out.

 _ ****~At Diagon Alley~****_

"Hey, Sally!" Edith waved the girl over; Sally had just stepped out of _Magical Menagerie_ with her new pet owl. Grinning the brown haired girl ran over and hugged her.

"Good to see you! I got your last letter, and I think your plan sounds like fun!" Petunia decided she didn't like the way her niece grinned when the other witch said this.

"I'm glad you agree. Have you gotten your new books yet?"

"Everything except the Lockhart books." Sally frowned a bit at this. "When I first tried to get in, the whole place was packed with all these screaming women. You couldn't get anywhere without being squashed, so I decided to try my luck later."

"Oh god, they hired Paris Hilton to teach us defence," Edith groaned. "Well, maybe the crowd will have petered out in an hour or so; there's still some stuff I need and some people I hope to meet up with..."

Glancing over her shoulder, she flicked her fingers at Petunia. "You can go now, Auntie." She said, as if she were the adult and Dursley the child.

She then walked off, leaving Petuina to have a mild panic attack surrounded by living reminders of her _perfect sister_ , which eventually caused her to run straight back out to her car and have a minor nervous breakdown.

"So that's your aunt?" Sally asked, eyes narrowing.

"Yup." Edith said. "Have you seen Hermione, Blaise, Dancia or Susan yet?"

 _ **-Line-**_

"Edith!"

"Ron; what a surprise!" Edith said as the red haired boy scrambled over to greet his tutor. She and Sally, after a little purchasing and withdrawing money from the bank, had finally decided to brave the waters and attempt to get their Lockhart books. Unfortunately, the man himself was still there, preening like a peacock while surrounded by photographers and women of all ages. There they bumped into the Weasley family when Ron spotted them.

Before heading over, Ron tapped his little sister on the shoulder and pointed over to Edith. The girl squeaked and attempted to hide behind her mother, only for Ron to roll his eyes, grab her by the arm and pull her along with him as he went to say hello.

"I thought you would have done your shopping already. I mean, it's kind of late." Edith said, the undisguised question not going unnoticed by the redhead.

"Yeah, dad was sticking around for the extra meetings so we had to put it off." Ron said, his tone a little awkward. He trusted Edith and she had made it clear she didn't care that he was poor, but it still burned him up a little to acknowledge it.

With his sister tugging at his hand, Ron added, "Hey Edith, this is my little sister Ginny. This'll be her first year at Hogwarts."

Edith smiled at the girl. She looked a lot like Ron and her mother; long firey red hair and brown eyes, wearing a home made lilac dress and sun hat. She was pretty cute, though a little shy looking – had she not inherited the famous Weasley temper? It struck Edith as unlikely, but the possibility couldn't be discounted straight off.

Ginny was having trouble looking straight at her idol; she had fallen in love with the heroic story of the Girl Who Lived when she was very young and was half excited, half terrified of meeting the real thing. Ron had talked about her in the letters he sent home, and from the sounds of it she was everything that Ginny had dreamed she was – kind, compassionate, and helpful. But now that she was face to face with Edith herself, her courage fled and she was almost afraid to speak.

Sally decided to give it a go, "Hello Ginny! I'm Sally."

"Hello," Ginny said nervously.

"Nice to meet you." Edith said. Ginny eeped slightly but managed not to flee; Ron's grip on her arm helped a bit in that department.

"N-Nice to meet you too." She managed, feeling proud of herself. "W-Would y-you like to meet my parents? T-They're just over there." She pointed to the side of the crowd, where Molly and Arthur were standing by one of the many stacks of Lockhart's books that had been ordered in during the man's rise to fame.

Edith and Sally shouldered and nudged their way through the crowd of cheering women (some of whom wanted Lockhart to sign their collarbones, seriously, get a life) over to the heads of the Weasley clan. Molly and Arthur were seperating out the stacks of glossy books they would need for each of their school age children.

Molly shook her head. "We'll have to skimp quite a bit to be able to afford all this, Arthur..."

"We'll manage. We always do," Arthur promised, though there was visible concern in his eyes as he weighed the prices of the books. "Hopefully I'll get a promotion in a few months..."

"We'll have to cut back on groceries for tomorrow. We're lucky Bill got that job with Gringotts or we'd be further down the hole..."

Ginny felt Edith tap her shoulder; she looked up at the older girl with mixed sadness and a brave front – even if she rarely got non-homemade birthday presents, she was proud to be a Weasley. She wouldn't trade her family for anything.

Edith held out a bag to her. Ginny took it and peeked inside, letting out a barely muffled squeak when she saw its contents. It was a bag full of galleons! Her head snapped over to the older redhead, who smiled and pressed a finger against her lips in a 'shhh' gesture.

Ginny felt her eyes water for a second before happily bobbing her head in gratitude. "Hey mum, how about we deal with those books...I got a good feeling!"

"Feeling extra charitable today, Edith?" Sally asked as they watched the redheads moving towards the front desk.

"Money isn't a problem for me anymore, so why not?" Edith said with a shrug. "Besides, if anyone deserves money or gold, it's poor families like them. Ron's performance will keep improving if he doesn't have to use third-time hand me down books."

Sally smiled warmly at her friend. "You really do take care of everyone without them noticing it, don't you?"

Edith chuckled. "Oh, I think some of them notice."

At the desk, Arthur made a noise of surprise when he found enough gold to cover the books and then some; Ginny had been slipping coins into his pockets a few at a time so he wouldn't ask where they came from. The two adults were delighted.

"After it's already happened." Sally said. "Poor Ginny; that kid really looks up to you."

"You think?" Edith said, puzzled.

Sally gave her friend an odd side eye. Edith Potter was wise for her age, cunning and misanthropic yet compassionate and welcoming. Yet for all her youthful wisdom the idea that people would look up to her, want to be friends with her, was all part of an alien concept. Realizing this made Sally both sad and angry. _She deserves better than that._

Having been wrapped up in their own conversation, the two girls had failed to notice the crowd closing in around them. Sally was about to explain herself to Edith when suddenly a glitter covered hand grabbed the redhead by the arm and yanked her in front of several cameras.

Gildroy Lockhart beamed at the reporters, now having the young redhead in a vicegrip even as she struggled to free herself. "As you can see, even the Girl Who Lived has come to hear the tales of my success! Like minded people attract each other I suppose!"

"Let _go_ of me!" Edith yelled, finally wrenching her arm away from him. She backed away a couple steps, glaring at the adult stranger as she rubbed her wrist.

"Edith?" The redhead's shoulders slackened slightly with relief; Dancia Malfoy was just shouldering her way through the crowd of frothing admirers to come to her friend's aide. "Haven't you heard its rude to grab a young woman you aren't related to?" She asked Lockhart in her best snooty noblewoman voice. "Have you got your books Edith?"

"Yes."

"Good. Then our business here is done. Excuse me!" Dancia gestured for the crowd to make room, and they did so. Most people knew not to upset a Malfoy. Sally sighed in relief when they reunited, quickly exiting the bookstore and leaving the awkward scene behind them.

"Dancia! Why did you run off?" The three girls looked up to see Dancia's mother Narcissa Black-Malfoy approaching them; the matriarch of the family and a very politically savvy woman.

"Sorry mother; I saw a man accosting Edith and went to assist her. I didn't want to interrupt your conversation with Mr Parkinson." Dancia explained, bowing her head slightly.

Narcissa's brows drew into an expression of annoyance, her gaze flickering to the still crowded bookstore. "Ah, that preening fop? I met him at a press conference. I can't say I'm very happy he's the one who was accepted as Defence teacher for this year."

"At least I have the advanced textbooks in case he's all talk...where's father?" Dancia asked in confusion, looking over her mother's shoulder.

"He said he had an errand to run." Narcissa replied. "He'll be with us shortly. I take it these young ladies are Edith Potter and Sally Anne Perks?"

"Yes ma'am." Sally said, carefully dropping the usual sparkle out of her voice. Edith bowed her head in respect without saying anything.

"Not ma'am, please." Narcissa said, adopting a semi-friendly tone. Much to her husband's consternation, she had taken quite a liking to the children eagerly described in her daughter's letters – even the ones of non magical heritage. "Ma'am makes me feel old. 'Miss' would do just fine. My daughter has spoken of the two of you quite warmly. I feel it would be proper to invite you and your other friends to our manor for the Yule holidays, if you would find that agreeable."

"Certainly!" Edith said with a small smile. "Thank you for offering."

"Your welcome. A Malfoy is known for their charity, after all."

Dancia's smile vanished when her father came to join the group. Lucius Malfoy had a sharp, aristocratic look to him, but it lacked any passing warmth that Narcissa had. His eyes were cold, steely and saw only what could benefit him and his family.

It didn't escape Edith's notice that he gave Sally a look of disdain. While Dancia had shed her childish misconceptions about muggleborns and half bloods thanks to Hermione, Sally and Tracey (they all had a mutual friend in Edith, which was very much intentional) she had to have picked up those attitudes from somewhere. She also knew from reading that Lucius had been caught as a Death Eater, only to plead Imperious and escape any punishment.

"Father," Dancia said a bit too brightly, "there you are! What was your errand?"

"I had something I needed to drop off." Lucius responded calmly. "So this is Edith Potter?"

"Yes sir."

Lucius said nothing for a moment; then he reached out a hand and touched the scar on her forehead. It was all Edith could do not to jerk back in disgust. "Your scar is a legend." A moment of uncomfortable silence followed before the man abruptly snapped, "We have a few more things to gather, Dancia, so if you're quite done here, let us be on our way."

With that, he turned and started walking away. Narcissa momentarily shut her eyes in embarrassment at her husband's blatant insult before saying, "I hope your second year starts of well, children." before following after him. Dancia glanced between them, mouthed out 'sorry' to her friends and rushed to catch up with her family.

"What a dick!" Sally hissed as the two girls headed back towards the Leaky Cauldron. "So that's where Dancia's early year condescension came from."

"Take it easy, Sally." Edith said soothingly. "You have to show those kinds of people that they can't get to you, even if they do."

"I wish it was that easy," Sally muttered.

 _Of course it isn't. Your parents aren't selfish monsters who starved you and forced you to live in a tiny cupboard under the stairwell._ "You'll get better at it. I had to, too."

 _ ****~Malfoy Manor~****_

Lucius was brooding in his study room. He was sitting in front of his desk, looking out at the partially open, now empty safe. He and Damien Moon had been planning for a while to start unseating that old, muggle loving dodder Dumbledore. What the notebook his master Voldemort had given to him prior to his first defeat was capable of, he didn't know the full extent of it. He just knew it was connected to the Chamber of Secrets, which could purge the school of undesirables.

It would have been simple enough...if Dancia hadn't gone and befriended not Potter, but Potter's gaggle of common, _muggle born_ friends.

Edith Potter wasn't exactly what Lucius had expected. He had expected a stupid, easily manipulative Gryffindor puppet of Dumbledore and the Light. But instead, she was in Slytherin. And from what Dancia said in her letters, she was a very articulate, intelligent, and dare he say it _cunning_ young woman.

It was almost a pity for her to be caught in the crossfire. Though, if Dumbledore was taken down by the 'Heir of Slytherin', that stupid Weasley girl, perhaps he could swoop in and act as a mentor figure to a confused and lost child.

Voldemort had said something about how the girl might be interesting if she wasn't the prophecy child. And if she was a liability...he could always deliver her to his Master once he was resurrected.

 **End Chapter**

 _ **Again, bridging chapter. I'm sorry it's a bit short, but the next one will be longer!**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	12. Chapter 12

**Cult Potter**

 _ **Wanda: Can you tell I had trouble writing this bridging chapter? Probably. Ugh, I'm sorry about that. But hey, now Lockhart's in the chapter! And he can be his usual creepy self...which isn't something to usually celebrate but hey, this story is rated for a reason, more importantly he's somebody I have fun torturing who isn't the Dursleys!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**_

 **Chapter 11: Year with the Useless Teacher**

Edith spent the last few days before the start of Hogwarts at the Leaky Cauldron before rejoining Sally and the Carrow sisters on the train platform. She had read parts of the books Lockhart had required for his class and found she wasn't very enthusiastic. They were more like cheap harlequin novels than actual textbooks, which made her wonder if any of the teachers had actually _read_ them before signing Lockhart onto the post.

So with that in mind, Edith decided that depending on what happened, she would personally teach her friends what she'd learned from the advanced books in their free time. Defense was an important class, whatever the Headmaster apparently thought of it.

She found herself in a crowded car, including Hermione, Blaise, Susan and Hannah. Ginny joined them not long after the train left, wanting to get away from her trouble making and somewhat sexist brothers. She still seemed pretty nervous around Edith, but now she could at least talk to the girl without turning red at the face and loosing all coherency.

They reached Hogwarts with no trouble – aside from Nott trying to harass them again. (each of Edith's friends had dealt with him before. It was a wonder Nott still saw it fit to antagonize them) The only thing left before the start of the new year was sorting.

"Greengrass, Astoria!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

Daphne cheered when her younger, impressionable sister vaulted off the seat and ran over to join her while Tracey moved over to make a little room for her.

"Weasley, Ginny!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

The redhead looked a little daunted when that proclamation was made, but when Edith lead the cheering among the house of green and silver, she smiled and made her way over. Astoria, friendly and warm to the utmost, offered the Weasley girl a seat next to her.

"Welcome to Slytherin, Ginny." Edith said. "It's a bit rough around the edges, but I think you'll have a good time here."

"I hope so," Ginny said with a shy smile, not wanting to vocalize her fear of what her parents would think when they found out about her sorting. Her brothers, at least, were waving and clapping from the other side, assuring her that she had their support.

Unbeknownst to her new friends (for now, anyway) the newest Slytherin put her hand on the mysterious blank diary she had found in her cauldron on the way to school. Maybe Tom could tell her a bit more about Slytherin.

 _ ****~The Next Day~****_

"What is Lockhart's favorite color," Blaise read from the page, incredulous. The man responsible for said 'test' laughed jovially when he heard the boy, preening along with the fifty or so portraits of himself that were now lining the room (that still faintly stunk of garlic), causing the Italian to glare down at his desk. This time lowering his voice, he hissed at Edith, "is this some kind of joke?!"

"Unfortunately, I don't think mister Lockhart has discovered sarcasm, so that's very unlikely." Edith said with an aggravated sigh, staring down at her page.

"That would make sense. So I can't write my real answers?" Blaise asked unhappily.

"You can always write them in Latin...I don't think he has the capacity to understand older languages." Dancia suggested from Edith's other side.

Edith sniffled a laugh at that answer. "Smart, Dancia. Are you sure you shouldn't have been sorted into Ravenclaw?"

"Ravenclaw? My father would have disowned me," Dancia retorted semi seriously. Edith recognized the look in her eyes, but chuckled nevertheless. _That certainly paints a picture of the man as obvious as the garish ornaments hung in this room._

"Then you can't help me translate my answers? I'd be in quite a bit of trouble if he _could_ read them." Edith asked with an amused side eye. Dancia's eyes lit up.

 _ **What is Gildroy Lockhart's favorite color?:** Liquid Nitrogen, specifically the way it glows when a lit match is nearby._

 _ **What is Gildroy Lockhart's secret ambition?:** To conquer this feeble, backwards world, see the armies of the universe driven before me, and hear the lamentation of the elders. _(it was truly a pity she couldn't properly quote _that_ line)

 _ **What, in your opinion, is Gildroy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date?:** Being able to speak in complete sentences, thereby revealing that he has more than one brain cell to rub together._

 _ **How many times has Gildroy Lockhart won the Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award?:** Does this count the times that establishment was staffed by actual feminists? Or exclusively during that dark era when it was run by fangirls?_

 _ **In his book Break with the Banshee, how did Gildroy Lockhart bravely banish the Bandon Banshee?:** By causing her to laugh herself so sick she became incapable of moving, at which point she went home to spread the story of humanity's leaps in comedy._

 _ **Which is Gildroy Lockhart's best side for photographs?:** Under my iron heeled boot._

 _ **Has Gildroy Lockhart ever won the Dunstable Duelling Championship?:** No. No, he hasn't. In fact, I'm going to call _lying _on that._

 _ **What product does Gildroy Lockhart use to clean his teeth to achieve his famous smile?:** Windex. It's the only explanation. _

_**Which is the person name which Gildroy Lockhart has given his broomstick?:** Lance Armstrong. _

"Lance Armstrong?" Dancia asked curiously.

Edith waved, unable to speak without breaking down laughing. "The wonderful thing about that reference is, even if he _does_ translate it, he still won't realize he's being insulted."

Flora, who _did_ get the reference due to watching muggle TV with her aunt, pressed her free hand over her mouth while her shoulder shook slightly. Hestia gave both her and Edith a mildly disapproving look, though a few giggles escaped her as well. Blaise and Dancia exchanged a look of confusion before mutually deciding to do their homework on muggle jokes.

It was at this point that Lockhart pulled out a cage full of...Cornish Pixies.

"Is he serious?" Blaise asked when Lockhart continued his rant about how he was going to prepare them for the most terrifying forces out in the world of magic. "I was rounding those up when I was seven!"

"Well I hope you plan to share your expertise," Edith said as Lockhart grabbed the lock in his hand, "Because I think we're about to need it!"

Sure enough, the fop unleashed the little monsters onto the class.

Immediately two of them stole the man's wand and carried away one of his pictures. At this, the man promptly abandoned the class and went to hide up in his office, yelling that it was their 'task' to try and subdue them without his help. "Like your help would be of any use to us!" Flora yelled after him, though in the chaos she probably wasn't heard.

Immediately kids jumped out of their chairs to attempt to do damage control; Neville was nearly airlifted by a couple before Ron Weasley of all people pulled out his brand new wand and shot him down. Pansy immediately dove under her desk and started cowering there, while Nott and his cronies ran for the door and forced their way out.

Edith glanced around until she caught Daphne's eye, at which point she mouthed out, 'immobilization charm'. The other girl nodded, and together they pointed their wands at the air and cast simultaneously. With double the power, the spell froze all the pixies in mid air, causing them to drop whatever they had been carrying away.

"Here's to another great year of defense lessons," Blaise noted bitterly.

Edith nodded. "At this rate, we'd be better off teaching ourselves." Acting as though she had just gotten an idea, she looked among her friends and said, "As a matter of fact I just gotten an idea, how about we all meet up in the library after dinner? Spread the word to our friends in other houses, will you guys?"

"Sure." With that agreed on, the Slytherins and Gryffindors all grabbed their books and left the room before Lockhart emerged from his office asking 'how things were going', while the two houses still agreed on very little this much they were united on-

They had another lousy teacher.

 _ ****~Later~****_

Ginny and Astoria were bonding fast, and now the two girls were trying to chat up notoriously quiet and anti social Lilith Moon. The silver haired Slytherin had gone out of her way to avoid any sort of emotional contact with her fellow students. Whether she was simply not a people person to a severe extent or didn't feel safe attempting to make friends – she came from a very affluent, very aggressive political family – wasn't obvious. Ginny, on the other hand, decided that the other girl desperately needed a friend and was determined to be that person.

While initially met with resistance, it became obvious that Ginny might be on to something. Instead of becoming aggressive or driving the two girls away with cruel remarks as she usually did, Lilith seemed to find the two cute. She patiently fielded their questions and was content to sit and listen to them babble away about whatever was on their mind.

So that was the scene Dancia walked in on when she stepped into the Slytherin common room to get her friend's sister. Lilith was sitting on an extra seat, eyes closed and a small smile on her face as Ginny and Astoria ranted about their first class with Professor Snape.

"...'s so harsh! It was my first try at potions, he didn't have to be so icy about it." Astoria protested, looking very rattled.

"Ron told me that he had really high expectations for everyone." Ginny said, "but I thought he'd be a bit more encouraging."

Lilith's lip twitched slightly, though she still didn't speak up.

"Hello, Tori." Dancia said, getting the girl's attention. "Edith's got an idea she wants to pitch. Would you and Weasley like to join us?"

Ginny's eyes lit up. "Sure! What's it about?"

"I don't know yet. It's a secret." Dancia said with mild sarcasm.

Astoria chuckled and nodded. Turning towards the silent white haired girl, she asked, "Hey, would you like to come along Lilith?"

Lilith blinked, tilting her head to the right. She smiled a bit and then shook her head. "No thank you. I'm...not good in crowds." Her voice was quiet and rasping, like she didn't get to use it often.

"Okay." Ginny said, looking a little disappointed. "Maybe some other time then."

"Come on, girls. Everyone's waiting." Dancia instructed. Ginny and Astoria shared a looked and bolted out the door, with Ginny dropping something on the way out.

Curious, Dancia knelt down and picked it up. She turned it over, it was rather old looking – had her parents got her this for her first year? Turning the first page over, she found it blank. Puzzled, she flipped through many of the pages only to find all of them blank too.

"That's weird." The Malfoy heiress muttered. Realizing she was going to be late herself, she slid the diary into her robe pocket before heading off to the library.

 _ ****~In the library~****_

"Whoa, settle down everybody." Edith said. "Price is going to kick us out at this rate."

Ron and Neville both quieted down at that. They were sitting behind Susan and Hannah Abbott, who were next to a strange blonde Ravenclaw named Luna. (Ginny had asked her to come; Edith didn't know her very well...yet) Flora, Hestia and Hermione had arrived along with Cho, who had also brought along one of the Patil sisters, Padma. Tracey and Daphne had arrived fast too, though Daphne didn't look to happy about being seated next to Fred and George Weasely.

Ron had _tried_ to give them the slip on the way to the library, but given that no one knew the school better than them – even Flich or Dumbledore – it had been a cute but useless gesture.

Ginny, Astoria and Dancia showed up last, with the blonde looking distant and contemplative.

Edith gestured for everyone to pay attention for a moment before beginning her argument. "Alright everyone; I'm assuming most of you have already had a class with our new Defence teacher?"

Ron snorted. "can we even call him that? 'What's Lockhart's favourite colour' indeed."

"Well, I had an idea," Edith said. "As I'm sure my roommates can tell you, I've ordered a lot of advanced books ahead of the year. This includes Defence. Since this particular class is clearly a waste of time, it occurred to me that we might be able to learn on our own."

"You'd teach _us_?" Neville asked tentatively.

Edith nodded. "I know how important self defence is." She told them, absently brushing her fingers against her right arm. Flora's eyes narrowed while Hestia just looked concerned. "So I think that we need to keep up no matter what. So, what do you think?"

"Sounds interesting." Cho offered. "Where would we do this?"

"Outside? In our free hours?" Edith offered. "Whenever is convenient for you guys."

"How about outside?" Astoria pipped up. "It's open, and no one's likely to complain about it."

"I like it." Blaise offered. "Anything's better than going through another one of those 'tests'."

 **End Chapter**

 ** _The answers for Lockhart's questions were fun to write. I hope you guys think it's funny._**

 ** _Read and Review please!_**


	13. Chapter 13

**Cult Potter**

 _ **Wanda: This chapter was interesting, because I wanted a little bit more character interaction before jumping into the basilisk plot, since I have a lot in store for that especially in dynamics within the school. Mainly because Edith will react quite differently to being accused of being the Heir of Slytherin than Harry did, and Dancia is the one with the book. I hope you guys don't mind the length, there is much more to come.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: Usual, I do not own, and can anyone else spot the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine reference?**_

 **Chapter 12: Stirring**

"Stupify!" "Expelliarmus!"

Edith walked back and forth among her various companions as they practiced duelling and defense among themselves. It was late and after dinner; they were out in the Hogwarts courtyards well away from the disapproving teachers as they used their craft. She had just demonstrated with Hermione, and now she was watching and giving advice as they worked.

Neville was practising with Cho. The Hufflepuff girl was very patient and friendly, offering advice whenever she disarmed him. Flora and Hestia were working together, obviously. Ginny was paired off with Astoria, though they were only practising stunners thanks to Daphne's overprotective nature. Ron finally managed to disarm Tracey as Edith walked on by; the Gryffindor had a mind for traps which was rather unusual for one of the 'brave and bold'. Blaise was duelling Hermione with mixed success, next to them were Sally and Daphne. Next to them were Susan and Dancia. Fred and George were absent at the moment, but they had shown off at the previous of the first three meetings so it wasn't too surprising.

They were improving pretty rapidly. Edith had already burned through two chapters of _Advanced Defence_ already; any quicker and she'd need to order in more books before the end of the week was out. The learning environment Lockhart and Binns and the like gave out was truly pathetic, and it had a negative impact on their students. Once that obstruction was removed, everyone flourished, including students like Ron who were usually cast aside as 'hopeless'.

Edith occasionally swapped herself in whenever someone in a pair got tired, most often with Susan and Dancia. Dancia in particular seemed rather sleepy and distracted.

"Dancia, is something on your mind?" Edith asked as she knocked the other girl's wand aside for the tenth time that evening.

"Oh..." Dancia shook her head, rubbing her eyes. "I haven't been sleeping well. Some bad dreams. That's all. It's distracting me."

"That doesn't sound like nothing." Edith noted. "Can Poppy give you anything to help?"

Dancia waved one hand, looking a bit desperate. Malfoys have pride to maintain, after all. "No, it's okay. It's perfectly normal to have bad dreams sometimes."

"...If you say so." Edith said, brow furrowed slightly. Susan, having caught her breath, got up and offered to continue sparring. Dancia smiled nervously and agreed. Edith moved along to where Ginny and Astoria were practising.

Unknown to the gang, Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, and Professor Snape were watching the motley crew working to improve their skills.

"Miss Potter is quite something, isn't she?" Flitwick asked, smiling at the face. "Look at that; I think I see someone from every single house out there."

"She has certainly proven to have quite the magnetic presence." Snape answered, with a customary frown and a distant look on his face. He certainly hadn't expected this of her; sure, she had seemed more like Lily than James even when he first met her. However now, Edith seemed to be mixing Lily's fire and passion with an unnervingly calm, calculating side that gave him uncomfortable memories... "Lily would admire that in her."

McGonagall sighed. "It's truly a pity that she isn't here to see what her daughter is achieving. Her and James, both. They both should have survived..." Her eyes darkened. "Oh, if only I had been the one to find Black."

"That would have been a mess," Flitwick agreed, looking unnerved at another sign of his fellow professor's famous Scottish rage. "People were glad to have You Know Who's second in command behind bars, especially since so many of his richer patrons managed to escape prosecution." He had nearly said 'Malfoy', but he glanced at Snape and decided not to. The man's connection to that family was an asset for the Headmaster, after all.

"I think we could have managed," Snape said, his lip curling in disgust at the mention of the man.

"Look at that," McGonagall noted, pointing into the crowd. Edith had just defeated Neville in a duel by casting a spell from the fifth year text book – which grabbed him by the ankle and left him dangling a few feet above the ground. Neville waved his hands in surrender, but he was smiling and taking it in good humour. A far cry from his near constant fear of everything from just a year before.

"How did she learn to do that so quickly?"

"She and Granger have a joint obsession with burying themselves in more books whenever they have a single second of spare time," Snape noted drolly. He thought the brunette Ravenclaw was a know it all, though she did minimize cauldron explosions in his class by offering assistance where ever she could. "I imagine she read about it in one of them."

"She's reading ahead?" McGonagall asked. "How far?"

"Oh, at least two years." Snape responded. "She, like Lily, seems to be absolutely obsessed with learning everything that she can about this world of ours and how to function well in it. I saw her reading a book of pure blood etiquette during dinner."

"Hm." Flitwick's gaze clouded over slightly. "I hope she isn't too upset about some of the details she might be encountering."

The three nodded in silent agreement. They all knew about the problems pure blood prejudice created even among young children who had little concept of the impact it had on them. McGonagall, barely a year ago, had been given a transfer from a muggle born student who professed that she didn't think she'd be able to live a happy life in such an obviously unbalanced society. She had been such a promising student, and the transfiguration mistress had been very sad to see her go, but she couldn't come up with a good enough reason to offset the girl's concerns.

"If she has, she's keeping them to herself." Snape's eyes narrowed at this. "For all her amiability, Potter is _extremely_ secretive."

"Oh, you're imagining things, Severus." McGonagall dismissed. "She's happy enough to talk to me."

"About anything sensitive? About her experiences both inside the school and out? I think there's a lot she's keeping to herself." Snape retorted, crossing his arms.

McGonagall frowned at him. "I know as a spy you looked for such things, but _really_ Severus. What could a second year girl be able to hide that we would need to know?"

"Minerva has a point." Flitwick said. "I'm sure it's just part of her personality."

"Hmph." Snape shook his head. He didn't believe Minerva entirely, but there was some wisdom in her words. After all, what could a child hide from them and Albus Dumbledore? "Whatever you say, Minerva."

 _ ****~In the Slytherin Dorm~****_

"Woof!"

Edith laughed slightly as she crashed onto her bed, her guard dog looking curiously at her. "We got a lot of work done today," She told her canine companion. "Neville and Ron aren't dropping their wands as much, and Hermione bowled over Cho during their duel. It's great progress, especially considering the time frame."

Noticing the fireplace was burning low, she grabbed one of Lockhart's books and tossed it in. Watching it curl up and start smoking was so satisfying after three weeks with that pompous fop preening and basking in his fame and the adoration of his fans.

"Pity I had to spend so much money on those. At least the rest could make useful door stops." _Hermione would be pissed if she saw this,_ Edith thought wryly. _She may have been snapped out of her crush on him, but preserving books is quite important to her. Even the useless ones._

It was early to be back in the dorm, but Edith was waiting for someone. Plus she had the odd sense that Professor Snape was watching her intently, and that was never good. Secrecy was important to her, after all, considering what was often on her mind. That, and she was waiting for a couple of her friends.

"Hey Edith!"

Edith looked up to see Hestia and Flora entering the dorm with identical grins; Hestia was holding a delicate looking roll of paper that could only have come through the mail.

"We got the page you wanted," Hestia said.

"Wonderful!" Edith sprang off the bed. Tristan barked a few times as Hestia handed the roll to the redhaired girl, who undid the string and started carefully unrolling it. "You didn't run into much trouble, did you?"

"I said it was for a genealogy." Flora responded. "The guy at the desk was nuts about those kinds of things, and we're adorable, so he looked the other way no problem."

"'Kings counted their ancestors names with greater pride than the names of their own sons,'" Edith quoted with a wry grin. "I have to introduce you to that book sometime."

Once she had slid the page open in its entirety, Edith spread it across her bed and gently pinned it with various books. The tree was more expansive than she had expected; while Lily had been a muggleborn, her father James came from an extensive pure blood history...peppered as it was by muggle borns and half bloods.

"So that's me," Edith muttered, tapping her fingers against her name and face. The page was self updating, which was a little unsettling, though not as much as when she'd first discovered moving, sentient pictures. An image of herself, currently on her young face, sat at the bottom of the tree. Above her were her parents, both listed as deceased as of October 31 2001. Apparently, James hadn't had any siblings, and Petunia wouldn't have been listed there anyway.

Above James were his parents Charles Potter and Jadzia Dax (a muggleborn). While James didn't have siblings, Charles _had_. He had three bothers, who of whom died in the war except for the youngest. Jon Potter was married to one Dorea Potter. They had four children, two of whom died in infancy due to poor health, and the eldest, one Sansa Potter, didn't survive them by long. Jon and Charles Potter both died in the year 1989, during what was now referred to as one of the Blood Wars. Dorea, however, fled Europe at Jon's urging. She hid in New Zealand under her maiden name with her final living child, Heather Black, until her death in 2008.

Heather, meanwhile, was still alive – now twenty six and with no real ambitions to move back to her ancestral home. She still lived in New Zealand, and was a talented mind healer there.

"I didn't know that about Dorea." Flora said curiously. "I figured since she hadn't been blasted off the Black Family tree she would have stayed and died during the war."

At Edith's raised eyebrow, Hestia explained, "The Blacks are one of the oldest wizard families still in existence. It's a safe bet that half the students in Slytherin are related to the Blacks somehow; we've got Black heritage on our grandmother's side."

"Huh." Edith said, brow furrowed. "Unless they had a _lot_ of children over the years, that sounds like you'd run into the same person more than once."

Flora snickered. "Yup. The Black motto has been 'always pure, noble and most ancient' for a long time. In fact, I bet that's why most of Heather's siblings died young."

Edith nodded and turned her head to the page. "Great. This is exactly what I needed. Thanks, you two. I can translate this into some papers for the muggle world. This is the last piece of the emancipation puzzle."

"Glad to be of service," Hestia said jokingly, but the smiles of the two girls implied something more. Edith grinned in response.

%&%&%&%&%&%&

The last Potter made all the necessary notes before returning her attention to her family tree. It was a list of the deceased, certainly – but for her, who had been told nothing but lies about her family, it was an enlightening experience.

Night was starting to approach when suddenly Tristan started growling. Dropping her textbook (all the potentially incriminating things having been packed into her trunk) Edith looked down at her pet in concern. "Tristan? What's wrong?"

Tristan snarled, and padded down the hallway with his hackles standing straight up. Unnerved by his behaviour, Edith got up and followed him. He lead her down the hallways, growling the whole way.

After a few minutes of silence, the redhead started to hear strange noises...

" _Kill...kill...kill...kill...kill.."_

Edith froze. A voice was echoing strangely off the walls; it sounded old, malevolent and angry. The snarl seemed to stab at the base of her ears, grating and inhuman, and it was all she could do not to press her hands against the sides of her head.

Tristan started barking, and he bolted down the hall.

" _...let me kill kill kill kill...let me feeeeeeed..."_

When Edith caught up with Tristan, her white hound was sniffing at the immobile body of Ron Weasley. Gasping, Edith knelt down and touched the boy's face. It was cold and hard to the touch, as if it was a statue carved in marble. She couldn't feel a pulse.

Heart hammering, Edith jumped to her feet. "Stay here," She ordered Tristan. "Protect him until I get back!" Then she turned on her heels and ran in the direction of Professor Snape's office.

 _ ****~Later~****_

"He's been petrified. Turned to stone."

Edith stood in Headmaster Dumbledore's office alongside Fred, George and Ginny, watching the old man as he made this grave pronouncement. Once she had gotten the professor, he had immediately brought all the teachers down to the site of the accident. Ron was quickly brought to the infirmary and put under Poppy's care, but he wasn't going to wake up any time soon.

Tristan was still growling and swivelling his ears in random directions as if listening for something.

Edith put a hand on his head when some of other staff eyed her with naked suspicion. _It was bound to have happened,_ she reasoned with herself _. You are the one who reported the body, after all..._

"Can't you help him?" Ginny asked, tears dripping down her cheeks.

"Of course, miss Weasley." Dumbledore said, his voice apologetic. Although he was addressing her, he kept looking at Edith as if she was the one the words were meant for. "We have Mandrakes in the school greenhouse; she will make the cure in good time. Unfortunately I ask that you simply be patient until that time arrives."

"Who could have done this? _What_ could have done this?" Edith asked, agitated.

Dumbledore looked at her under his half moon spectacles and replied, "I have many theories, Miss Potter, each as unlikely as the next."

 _...really? You're not even going to suggest transfiguration...or a cockatrice? There are multiple ways to cause this, but you're going with 'many theories?'_ Edith thought. _How is that supposed to help? What are we supposed to guard ourselves from!?_

Fred seemed to have similar feelings. "That's _IT?!_ But – but who did this to our little brother?!" He demanded.

"I'm sorry I can't tell you more. Minerva, Severus, escort our students back to their dormitories. We have an investigation to preform..."

 **End Chapter**

 **Again, writing the 'school suspicion, ohh Potter's _totally_ the Heir of Slytherin' is going to be quite a bit of fun. Edith won't take that lying down, and she will finally act like she did with Matt, Piers and Duncan all that time ago. And I've _missed_ that.**

 **Read and Review please!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Cult Potter**

 _ **Wanda: (shudders) Well, it's safe to say I don't like writing this version of Lockhart...at all. Thank god that didn't last. I swear, when you consider Lockhart's only real capability and the nature of his fame, there's a huge level of fridge horror and the realization that he might have been more than just an incompetent pain in the ass. Don't worry people - he gets his here.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: See chapter 1**_

 **Chapter 13: Rumours**

Dumbledore watched the events unfolding in his school with a grim eye.

It was a pity, to allow such distrust to flutter between houses. The fact that Edith had found Ron Weasley's body had been the starting point. It was easy for children to -jump- to the assumption that she would be the Heir of Slytherin, the one the threatening, bloody message on the wall had warned was here to purge the school – especially since everyone had expected her to be sorted into Gryffindor when she returned to their world.

The headmaster firmly believed that suffering built character. He wanted Edith to develop the ability to take the world on her shoulders, even if the weight was crushing. She couldn't learn such skills surrounded by her friends, loyal companions who would shield her from harm. As much as it pained him to set these classmates against her, she had to build up strength! She had to be able to face down opposition even if it seemed to consist of everyone in the world. And hopefully, this adversity would bring her either to Snape or to himself, seeking guidance and and figure she could rely on.

He had been surprised when Ron Weasley was the first victim. After all, he had expected Lucius to give the diary to one of Arthur's children, given their bitter animosity. It would have tightened the old Light family's loyalty to him as a side bonus as well. But it seemed that the diary had slipped away from young Ginny, given her consistent presence in all her classes.

(It did strike him as strange that she, too, was in Slytherin. The Weasleys had been in Gryffindor for seven generations! Perhaps she had simply desired to be with her personal idol and asked the Hat to put her there. The hat never did discuss sortings with him.)

All his teachers were dutifully reporting back to him. Dumbledore suspected the nature of the monster within the school, though he said nothing – after all, only _he_ knew the truth about Tom Riddle from all those years ago. He couldn't connect all the dots without bringing that up, and he didn't want that information somehow making its way to his old student's spirit, where ever it may be wandering now.

Dumbledore watched Edith eat her dinner, finding that some of her friends were still clustered around her. He really needed to drive a wedge between them, especially the Malfoy heiress – they weren't proper friends for the child. He had allowed it the previous year because he had expected the house's reputation for blood purity to drive them apart with disgust. But it seemed now that they were still standing tall.

 _Would Tom have his possessed Heir attack those from his own house?_ Dumbledore wondered. _It's doubtful, of course, but that would certainly be convenient for me._

Of course, what the teachers saw and what was going on among the students were often quite different. The shifting alliances, the rich history, it all existed under their nose.

 ****~Elsewhere~****

"She's got to be! It makes sense."

"Erne, that's insane!" Hannah felt a headache coming on; she was relentlessly championing her friend to her fellow Hufflepuffs, but not many of them were willing to listen to her. And on top of that, they were coming up with increasingly ridiculous theories that 'proved' they were right. "She was _raised_ muggle. Why would she want to put them away?"

"Muggles are weak! She probably wants to rule over them, and magic would give her the power to." Erne proclaimed with smug certainty.

That's when all the lights in the library abruptly went dark. Erne and Justin both jumped, but Hannah looked over her shoulder to see Susan standing in the corner of the library. Her best friend gestured for her to join them, and with a nervous look cast over her shoulder at the two boys Hannah did so.

"Muggles are weak, huh..." Ernie and Justin both flinched when Edith emerged from the stacks of books behind them. She didn't look furious or insulted like they had expected...if anything, she seemed quietly amused. "How much do you two know about the two World Wars? Muggle conflicts from ninety years ago?"

"N-Nothing! What does that have to do with anything, _Potter_?" Ernie hissed, puffing up in hopes of appearing intimidating.

Edith laughed outright, causing him to flinch. "Oh Ernie. That explains _a lot_. Let me tell you a story – may I? It's nineteen forty five. The second world war has been raging for six years, and everyone is exhausted. The armies are running out of men willing to fight. Germany has finally surrendered, but their allies, the Japanese, remain ardent to fight to the end. Their code of 'death before dishonour' makes it difficult to hold their islands in the ocean. So the Alliance starts to build a new weapon. A bomb that, when dropped, will shatter an entire city."

Hermione, Sally, Daphne and Ginny all make themselves visible among the shelves, surrounding the two boys in a circle.

"Now imagine you're in Hiroshima. You're a young child, walking down the street with your mother, when you see something falling from the sky. You have a single second to turn to her and ask when a horrible white flash erupts across the world, and the last thing you remember is the stench of rotting flesh and the feeling of your blood boiling in your veins before your shattered soul is sent straight to the afterlife."

Edith smiled darkly.

"You're lying!" Justin gasped, his face turning pale. "There's no way the muggles have something like that?"

"Oh, is there? You didn't even know about the wars, and that was ninety years ago. Pay attention! The mundanes have advanced their warfare by entire generations since then. An experienced duellist can speak three or four spells a second. The corresponding muggle weapon can fire thirty times as many bullets in the same amount of time."

"If a foolish wizard was to walk into the muggle world and try to claim a throne there, it wouldn't look like you imagine it would. It wouldn't be an easy victory while your magic easily brings down the resistance."

"No, the last thing anyone in Diagon Alley would see would be a _brilliant white flash_."

Justin whimpered. Edith smiled viciously. "The atomic bomb. What an insidious design. I agree, they shouldn't be allowed to exist. But I respect greatly what my non magical brothers and sisters are capable of. And as Hannah kindly pointed out, _I was raised muggle_. so...how do _you_ think I would go about subduing my enemies?"

"Y-you...but that's crazy..."

"It is." Edith said more calmly. "I've never been one for senseless deaths. Especially for bystanders." When the boy's shoulders slackened, she hissed with fury, "On that account, you should realize that I am not the Heir that's arrived in this school. But may I register my disgust that you are connecting me to the sigil of the man who _murdered my parents_?"

"I...I...I thought..." Erne stuttered, as Edith's friends tightened their circle around him and Justin. None of them looked sympathetic; they were glaring at him with contempt.

"You thought nothing. You _assumed_. Wizards are _very good at that_ , I've noticed."

Edith walked around the table until she was standing in front of the two boys. Now they were both full of fear. "Now, if you would spread among your fellow second years what I've told you, I would most appreciate it. Continue to marr my name, and I'll get... _annoyed_. Understood?"

"Y-Yes." Ernie whispered.

"Good." Edith said, abruptly smiling and casual. "You got that book you wanted, Hermione?"

"Yes; it was buried under some of the Lockhart paperweights." Hermione said. Edith smiled, the lights sputtered back to life, and the girls made to leave.

"Potter!" Ernie cried abruptly. Edith paused. "W-what you said about muggles...can they really destroy us like that?"

"...We could do a lot of damage to each other." Edith noted. "But that assumes that frontal assault is your only option. A wiser conqueror would know that...unlike Voldemort." Rolling her eyes when the two boys flinched at the name (really – even _Ginny_ didn't flinch anymore at the mention of him, and she was younger than them.) Edith then left them behind to process what had just happened.

 ****~Elsewhere~****

Sally examined the three Slytherin fifth years she had tazered. Flora had given them a good kick to ensure they were unconscious, but it couldn't hurt to be sure.

"You're pretty much untouchable now," Flora joked when Sally handed her the tazer. "Those boys are going to spend the next few months trying to figure out how the hell you managed to hurt them when you have so much less experience."

"Wizards aren't good at taking pain, are they?" Sally remarked as they started walking down the hall. "The minute anything touches them they fall down like a paper house."

Flora shrugged. "When the nurse can heal broken bones perfectly within the hour, their pain never really sticks around does it?"

"She can _what_?" Sally asked, stopping to stare at Flora.

The Slytherin blinked and rubbed the side of her head. "Right, I forgot you haven't experienced wizard medicine yet. Yeah, Poppy could fix a broken arm in an hour – maybe less if she doesn't have anyone else to fuss over."

"Buh...that's amazing." Sally gasped. "In a muggle hospital, a broken bone stays for _weeks_ after the fact...how many people there could be saved from death with this incredible magic?"

Flora looked a bit uncomfortable. "Weeks? Really? That sounds harsh..."

"Does Edith know about this?" Sally asked in a rush. When Flora gave her a confused shrug in response, she muttered, "I'll tell her about it. The revolution of medicine...so many lives could change forever. It's perfect!"

 ****~Elsewhere~****

"So those are some of Fred and George's new prank toys?" Neville guessed, glancing towards the bathroom where Seamus Finnagin was throwing up repeatedly.

"They're calling them 'Puking Pastries'." Colin Creevy, an enthusiastic photographer who idolized Edith and followed her around almost everywhere, filled him in. "They're selling some of the test products for ten galleons a piece. It's really cool!"

Neville knew that neither Seamus nor Dean had bought the test subjects. He had slipped them into their food after hearing they were part of the 'Heir of Slytherin' campaign against Edith. Fred and George had been his suppliers, and he hadn't thought to ask where they were coming from.

Meanwhile, Fred and George were 'handing them out' among other detractors (because why was the Golden Girl in Slytherin when she was CLEARLY MEANT TO BE IN GRYFFINDOR, clearly she was seduced to the dark side or whatever) who were ponying the theory or otherwise trying to harm Edith in the eyes of the rest of the school.

Fred said, Ron and Ginny trusted her, so they trusted her as well. Edith usually referred to them as her favourite Gryffindors, and Neville was starting to see why.

 ****~Elsewhere~****

Edith walked into Lockhart's classroom with Daphne at her heels. A teacher's meeting was going on at the moment, so he wouldn't be there for another hour.

"So Astoria isn't sure what happened?" Edith repeated, looking at the agitated blonde with concern.

"No." Daphne gritted her teeth. "I took her to Poppy, and she said there's a blank in her memory left by Obliviate. I tried to talk to Professor Snape and Professor Dumbledore but I got backballed because of this 'heir of Slytherin' thing going on. You'd think my baby sister missing part of her memory _and her shirt_ wandering in the hallways would be enough to get _one_ teacher interested!"

Edith growled slightly in agreement.

The reason the girls were breaking into Lockhart's office was related to a detention Astoria and Ginny had earned for cutting Defence class, complaining that they weren't learning anything. Some time after the detention period was complete, Astoria and Ginny had been found running back to the dorm. Both were missing their upper robes, leaving them in their undershirts.

Even Tracey had never seen Daphne so furious.

Given that Lockhart was the last place the two girls were known to have been, Daphne decided to investigate and brought Edith along.

The door swung open with a simple locking charm, which normally would be considered odd since most teachers put preventative measures for exactly this sort of scenario around their personal affects. But given how incompetent Lockhart had proven to be, Edith wasn't particularly surprised. She pushed the door open and they walked inside.

The whole place was garishly decorated. Daphne walked across the room to a partially opened door, removed a few objects and then snarled like a wolf. Startled, Edith ran over to her.

Daphne had pulled out a number of pictures. They were of girls in the school in various states of undress; on the top was Ginny and Astoria. Their upper robes were neatly folded and sitting on the chair next to the drawer. And they were luckier than some of the other girls in these photos.

"You sick son of a _bitch_." Daphne snarled. "I'm going to _kill_ him!"

Edith put a hand on Daphne's shoulders, trying to contain her own revulsion and disgust. "It's not just you." She hated seeing Ginny like this, and Astoria would be traumatized if she knew... "It seems Lockhart's good at one thing – Obliviate. That must be why the girls don't remember... _this_."

"I bet." Daphne said through her teeth. "I'm going to rip his heart out and _eat it_."

"You'll give yourself indigestion." Edith warned, lip twitching into an unwanted smile. "Let's go find Professor Snape."

Daphne nodded mutely with anger, shoving the incriminating photos into her pockets and the two girls set out from the room.

It was late at night, with most of the students in the Great Hall to eat dinner. Edith and Daphne were halfway to the teacher's lounge when Edith froze.

" _...Hungry...hungry...master, please..."_

"Edith?"

" _Please...hungry...let me eat..."_

"Can you hear that, Daphne?"

"Hear what? There's some distant hissing...but I think that's just the water pipes..." Daphne blinked when Edith suddenly burst forward and ran down the halls. Struggling to keep up, Daphne realized she _did_ hear something – some sort of hissing noise was roaring through the walls.

They reached the Girl's Bathroom – the one haunted by Moaning Myrtle – when Edith stalled, causing Daphne to run into her when the redhead shoved her behind the corner.

Dancia Malfoy was staring blankly at the walls, her eyes glowing and her shoulder stiff in the way that screamed of possession or the Imperious. She was clutching a small book in her hand; Ginny's diary, Edith realized with a start. But that wasn't what she was staring at. She was looking at the massive, sixty foot creature that had just emerged from the bathroom, scales covered in grime and dust, opening its huge maw to reveal a line of T-Rex sized fangs.

Edith was shielding Daphne because she knew what it was. It was a Basilisk.

" _Please, master..._ " The creature crooned, its voice cracked and plaintive. It was a girl, Edith realized, and she sounded fairly young. " _I was made to sleep for so long. I'm hungry."_

Dancia said nothing for a second, before growling in a man's voice – Daphne gasped - "There is food for you hear. I will direct you to it."

Mentally muttering an apology to her friend, Edith pulled out her wand and barked, "Stupify!" The possessed Dancia hardly had time to turn around before the blast hit her and knocked her unconscious.

Both girls fixed their eyes on their feet as the basilisk reacted, growling and panning the halls with her deadly eyes. " _...Master?..."_

Edith said without thinking, " _She's not your master. She's possessed."_

For a second, she thought she had made the situation worse as the creature swung her massive head over towards them, sliding out of the bathroom and meeting them at the corner. But instead of attacking them, the snake just hovered. " _There was only one who ever spoke to me here._ " She said. " _He called himself my master, and he was the only one who fed me."_

" _...How long have you been here?"_ Edith asked, not noticing Daphne looking at her with awe. She didn't realize that what to her sounded like plain English was actually the hissing of a snake.

" _A long time."_ The basilisk said, sadness in her voice. " _I slept for a long time since Father died. When Master came, he was cruel and harsh. He wouldn't let me eat anything but those icky spiders from the woods."_

" _I'm sorry about that."_ Edith got some stark realization. _"You're the one who turned Ron to stone – your sight is fatal when you look at someone directly, but not indirectly!"_

" _What's a...Ron?"_ The basilisk asked, confused.

" _The boy from a few days ago."_ Edith explained patiently, hoping to keep the creature placated and friendly.

" _Oh. Was he a brother? A Mate? I'm sorry. I was just doing what Master wanted me to."_ The basilisk said, sounding like a scolded child.

" _He's a friend."_ Edith responded. " _And it's okay. You didn't hurt him badly, and I can't begrudge you wanting to eat. Everyone has to, after all."_

" _Oh? That's very nice of you."_ The basilisk tilted her head to the right. " _Will you give me something to eat? Please?"_

Edith glanced over at Daphne, specifically at the pocket where she had put the incriminating photos. "...Yes, I think there's something I can get you." Daphne's eyes widened, before she let out a very unladylike snicker of triumph.

" _Really? That's wonderful! Please show me. I'll close my eyes until you tell me not to."_ The basilisk said eagerly. Edith smiled, looking up at the creature for the first time. She was really pretty, once you got over the grime she was covered in – and anyone would look like that after decades of sleeping under a bathroom.

"Lead the way, Daphne."

They didn't have to lay in wait for long – Lockhart didn't stick around to speak with the rest of the teachers, in fear that they would discover his less than accurate knowledge about not just the school curriculum but Defence in general. He always retreated to his office afterwards.

So when Lockart rounded the corner and entered his classroom, he saw Edith, Daphne and a massive snake. Edith grinned and hissed like an animal, and the snake opened its eyes. Lockhart didn't even have a chance to scream.

" _Do you have a name?"_ Edith asked the basilisk as she joyfully lunged forward and swallowed up the first real meal she'd had in several decades.

The basilisk thought for a moment, still chewing up Lockhart as she did so, before saying, " _Mother named me Amanda, though Father preferred to call me Ama. I like Ama. It reminds me of him."_

" _Alright Ama. I'm Edith. Nice to meet you."_ Edith said with a smile. _"Now let's get you back home; I need to help out my friend too."_

 _ ****~In the Dorm~****_

"You're a parcelmouth!" Tracey said in amazement.

Dancia was lying asleep on her bed – Edith and Daphne had brought her back after sending their new pet into the safety of the pipes. Edith had pulled Tracey over so they could establish an alibi just in case – given that Ama had devoured Lockhart whole, they were unlikely to get pointed at, but it never hurts to be prepared.

"I guess I am. It sounded like normal English to me – I don't know if that's normal." Edith admitted.

"You didn't know before now?" Tracey asked, surprised.

"Never was really in the position to, I guess." Edith answered with a shrug. "It's a bit narrow on who it speaks to, after all."

"So that's what the monster of the Chamber was!" When her half blood friend looked oddly at her, Tracey elaborated, "There's an old legend in the school that, a long time ago, Salazar and Godric had a falling out about whether or not muggleborns should be admitted into Hogwarts. Supposedy Salazar built a chamber deep within the school and placed inside a monster only he and his Heirs could control. It would be there to protect the students from anyone who attempted to give them harm. That monster must be the Basilisk!"

"Her name is Ama." Edith corrected absently. "So it seems I'm the Heir after all."

"Oh, don't let the Headmaster hear you say that!" Daphne said in a partially joking way. "He's sour enough over the fact that you didn't go into Gryffindor in the first place."

"And honestly, that doesn't make sense." Flora added. "Part of all of Voldemort's support came from the fact he claimed to be the last heir of Slytherin. Why would that be you now? And besides, you weren't the one Ama was calling Master before you tried talking to her."

At this, everyone looked over at Dancia.

"Well, out of everyone, the first suspect for being the Heir, or at least connected to them, would be a Malfoy," Tracey said looking unnerved.

Edith shook her head. "If Dancia was the Heir, we would have known. We've been in her dorm for a year and a half now."

Dancia had been suffering from a lot of self doubt regarding what her father had taught her to believe in her childhood, and Edith had actively fed that confusion. She knew she could trust Dancia, and that didn't mesh with what had happened.

"What is _this,_ do you think?" Hestia held up the diary Dancia had been holding during the incident. "Dancia isn't the kind to carry around a journal." Her fingers ran over the name on the side, and she blinked. "Tom Marvolo Riddle...weird. That doesn't sound like anyone we know."

"Tom Marvolo Riddle...Tom Marvolo Riddle..." Edith repeated, brow furrowing. That name sounded vaugely familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on it. "I don't know. Girls?"

They shrugged. "I think there's a Tom Riddle mentioned for services to the school in the trophy room." Tracey said. When her friends gave her an odd look, she blushed lightly and said, "I hid in there to avoid Smith on my way to see Susan."

"Huh. Did you catch what he got the award for?" Edith asked.

"Something about uncovering a murder by proxy." Tracey said. "He 'caught the criminal responsible, through foolishness and negligence, for the death of Mrytle McGrew, a third year muggleborn.'"

" _That_ sounds familiar." Flora growled.

Everyone took a second to wrap their minds around the connection. Edith got a thoughtful look on her face. "Hm. Tracey, is there any way for us to research into that case?"

"Yeah. There are books recording the details of the achievements in the trophy room itself. I didn't take the time to look at it but its definitely there."

"Great. Flora, Hestia, you take Dancia up to Poppy. Whatever happened to her, it may not have worn off yet."

"Got it." The girls said in chorus. "If she asks what happened, I'll tell her some Gryffindor punk snuck up on her." Flora added helpfully.

Taking the diary from her friend, Edith locked it in a hidden compartment within her trunk, closed it and slid it under her bed. "If anyone asks, that notebook has gone missing. Tracey, Daphne, come with me – let's find out a bit more about this muggle born death."

Whistling, she summoned Tristan to her side. "And you, boy, will be our lookout," She said with a small smile.

With that, the gang split up, leaving Tracey, Daphne and Edith to sneak through the halls – curfew had finally been imposed and they had to be careful to dodge Filch, who was _still_ the only person patrolling the halls even after Ron and a muggleborn named Jessie White had been petrified

The trophy room was easy to find, and it was always unlocked. Tracey stepped inside and lead her companions over to the placard she had noticed earlier.

"Here it is; _Thomas Riddle Jr, services to the school_...it dates back to the 1940s. How could he still have influence here if he's that old...?" Tracey wondered.

Meanwhile, Edith picked up the book sitting beneath the placards and flipped through the pages until she reached Riddle's entry. " _...a series of attacks ending with the death of Mrytle McGrew, third year muggleborn. Tom Riddle apprehended Rubeous Hagrid, who had been sheltering the Arcomantula responsible for her death."_

" _Hagrid?_ " Tracey sputtered. "They think _Hagrid_ opened the Chamber? But he's gentle! He's a bloody half giant for the love of everything, he's exactly the kind of person Ama is supposedly sent to destroy!"

"I agree, it's definitely not Hagrid." Edith noted. "Do you suppose he'd be receptive to telling us his side of the story?"

"I wouldn't count on it; says here he was expelled for it. It's probably a sore spot for him." Daphne noted.

"But if we prove he and these creatures of his couldn't have been responsible? It must have been Ama, it couldn't have been a spider no matter how big and venomous. They don't have the same capabilities as her for causing death." Edith said. "If that is proven, he'll be exonerated. I imagine he'd like that."

Tracey looked thoughtful. "You're right. And Hagrid deserves to be declared innocent."

"We'll ask him tomorrow." Daphne suggested. "Open access hasn't been restricted yet, so I don't see how we could be refused."

"Are we going to give Ama up?" Tracey asked, looking a bit disquieted at the idea.

"No," Edith answered instantly. "And I don't think we'll have to. They'll search the school and I'll have her hide out in the forests while they do so. With Ministry's apparently usual ineptitude, they're not likely to pose a threat to her anyway."

"So she's your new pet?"

"No one said you couldn't have more than one familiar." Edith responded with a smirk. "Besides, I couldn't turn her in after she did the school such great community service!"

Tracey didn't know quite yet why Daphne burst out laughing at that.

 **End Chapter**

 _ **I felt like I needed a shower when writing the picture scene. Even though Lockhart only took pictures of Ginny and Astoria, it's such a gross violation of their rights that it makes me sick. I swear to god, I**_ **hope _that poor Canon!Ginny's memory loss in Chamber of Secrets was caused by Voldemort and being possessed._**

 ** _But I did feel very good having him eaten by Ama. Now Edith has a basilisk. Be very afraid._**

 ** _Read and Review and for the love of god please don't hate me._**


	15. Chapter 15

**Cult Potter**

 _ **Wanda: I swear to god the school day is so. freakin. long. It's like it will never end sometimes.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own.**_

 **Chapter 14: Logistics**

The next day, the story about Ama and the book was spread among Edith's friends and companions. Hermione was pissed about Hagrid's expulsion story; internally Edith had noted that the Ravenclaw would make a good lawyer or politician in her time.

Ginny, meanwhile, upon hearing that a massive basilisk creature was in the pipework of the school that could kill her with a look – she immediately wanted to see it. Edith had to promise that she and Astoria would meet Ama that evening to get her to stop asking.

"Poor Hagrid!" Ginny said as a group consisting of her, Edith, Daphne, Tracey, Hermione, Sally and Susan made their way down to Hagrid's hut, various books in hand, to prod that incident that got him expelled. "That must have been awful."

"So we're sure McGrew's death wasn't the result of those spiders?" Sally asked just to be sure. "I mean, why would they have put their finger on him to begin with?"

"Because a well dressed, well liked young man pointed at a strange half giant few trusted." Susan explained. "Even if the evidence didn't properly add up, they were bound to put the blame on him regardless of context. It's unfortunate, but true."

Hermione muttered a couple uncomplimentary sounding things under her breath in response to that. Tracey snickered, causing the bookworm to give her a dirty look. "It's just funny to hear you use bad language," the Slytherin said defensively. "You're normally impeccably polite."

"I try to be," Hermione responded primly as they stopped right outside Hagrid's hut.

Edith stepped forward and knocked. "Hagrid? Are you there? There's something we'd like to ask you about over tea!"

There was a short pause before Fang barked and Hagrid pulled the door open. He looked tired and nervous, because letters from the Ministry had been going in and out of Dumbledore's office ever since Ron was frozen. "Ah, girls...c'mon in! It's good ta see ya all."

 **% &%&%&&%&%&%&%&**

"Is there something your worried about?"

"Ah, is n'thing, just some bad memories Hermione. Fudge has been needling Dumbledore, saying that if this situation gets worse, the Ministry will have to be seen doing s'mething. Puts the nerves on edge..." Hagrid passed the steaming cup of tea over to the questioner.

"I'm sure it won't come to that," Edith promised, her eyes warm and gentle. Of course, since Ama was under her 'control' now, those incidents wouldn't continue as they had started. "There's something we'd like to know, can you tell us about your explusion?"

"There's a weird diary that I stumbled across," Ginny explained, sitting on the edge of her seat. She had such a sweet and earnest look that 'the boss' couldn't help but think of how adorable she looked. "Dancia borrowed it and then she started acting funny. There's a name on it saying Tom Riddle."

Hagrid's face contorted, a wash of bad memories flashing before his eyes. "Where'd ya hear that name...?"

"On a placard in the trophy room." Daphne said.

Hagrid's face crumpled, and he placed his head in his hands. "So ya know..."

"We don't know much," Edith said gently but firmly. "We want to know what you think happened."

Hagrid took a deep breath and gave her a shaky smile. "O'course...that's so nice, ya know? No one ever believed me, no matter who I talked to, when I told 'em what I thought. Everyone cept Dumbledore, o course, he's the one who got me the job as groundskeeper here. Back then, there were a bunch of attacks like this – kids be'in turned to stone, no one knew how it was happening. I was just a student back then, and I liked to take care of exotic creatures. Tom Riddle was a teacher's pet, e'ery one listened to him...he was a real charmer, he could get you to do things for him no problem. Then it happened..."

Hagrid moaned, "Poor Mrytle died. Riddle blamed me, said that one o' my new pets had done her in. He was wrong, I'm telling ya! My arcomanta wouldn't've hurt her, and she didn't have any bite marks! But everyone trusted Tom, so they believed him. P'rfessor Dumbledore prevented me from being sent to Azkaban...but I still got expelled."

"I'm sorry, Hagrid." Susan said gently.

"Why would they blame the spiders if her body doesn't have any bite marks?" Hermione said, half to herself.

"'The Ministry has to be seen doing something...'" Edith muttered under her breath. "Hm. Does Mrytle have an autopsy report? The discrepancies should be obvious if it can be reviewed."

"I don't know, but I can ask my auntie." Susan said brightly. "To the owlry!"

 **% &%&%&%&%&&%%&**

"So your aunt is basically the Head Cop at the Ministry?" Edith asked as she and Susan made their way back from the owl post.

"Yes." Susan said proudly, eyes gleaming at the mention of her guardian. Amelia Bones was a woman of famous iron constitution, having taken over a few years ago with a rigid stance against crime. She was stern but very fair – unbaised in ways that many of her fellow Ministers weren't. "She's brilliant. I can't wait to introduce you to her."

"Sounds like fun." Edith said with a small smile.

The two girls made their way back towards the dining room when Ginny came barrelling down the hall, brown eyes huge with shock. "Edith! _Edith!_ "

"What? What is it?" Edith asked, confused.

Ginny skidded to a halt in front of her, biting her lip. "You know that book that Dancia had?" When her older classmates nodded, befuddled, she looked down at her feet. "It was mine first...it just appeared in my cauldron during shopping. I thought my parents had gotten me a present."

"Wha...? Oh. It's okay, Ginny." Susan put a sympathetic hand on the redhead's shoulder. "You couldn't have known-"

"That's not it!" Ginny broke in, bringing out a page from her pocket. "It said Tom Marvolo Riddle...I kept looking at it for a long time...and...and..." Shaking her head, she just presented Edith with the page.

 _Tom Marvolo Riddle._

 _I am Lord Voldemort._

Wordlessly Edith took the page from Ginny and examined it.

Ginny had carefully counted the various letters, and the phrase changed perfectly without anything to spare. Ama came from the Chamber of Secrets, which was built by Salazar Slytherin. Tom Riddle claimed that Hagrid was the one who had first opened the chamber, but Hagrid was innocent. There was no way that was a coincidence.

"When it said that McGrew was a muggleborn...I wondered...and when I came up with this I was sure..." Ginny looked between her mute heroine and an aghast Susan. "H-Have you already sent that letter to your mum, Susan...?"

"...I'll borrow one of the school owls." Susan said, taking the page and running back in the direction they had come.

"...E-Edith? Are you okay?" Ginny asked, turning towards her idol with worry in her eyes.

Edith shook her head slowly. She reached out and lightly ruffled Ginny's hair, causing her to squeak and blush. "I'll be alright, Ginny. I was...just surprised. I probably should have expected it." She smiled at the younger girl. "You've done really well, catching onto that."

Ginny blushed harder and said, "Oh, thank you!"

Edith smiled and started walking again. "C'mon...let's go get some dinner." Ginny brightened and scurried to keep up with her. "What are you doing for Yule?"

"Oh! My oldest brother – Bill – he's coming back from Egypt for the holidays. He works there as a Curse Breaker, and he's super smart. He's the only one of my brothers who doesn't tease me, and I love him a lot." Ginny babbled as they walked. "I think I'll ask if Luna and her dad can come over for a little, too – have you met Luna? She's in Ravenclaw, and we've been friends since we were little. We live close to each other."

"I've seen her around, but we haven't been formally introduced." Edith had overheard a couple of Ravenclaws talking about 'the freak' and how they had stolen her belongings. Flora and Sally had been all too happy to teach them a lesson in manners, with Hermione delivering the trunk back to the Ravenclaw common room, but Edith hadn't seen Luna herself at the time.

Ginny seemed to know what she was thinking, because her expression darkened unexpectedly. "Some people are really nasty to Luna because they think she's strange. I try to look out for her, but its harder now that we're in different houses. I hope she's doing alright."

"I can ask Hermione about it. They're in the same house." Edith offered.

Ginny smiled. "Thanks. You're so thoughtful, Edith. It's wonderful."

"Ah, you're embarrassing me...I just try to do what I think is right for people."

"What are you doing for Yule?" Ginny asked, curious. Her dad was fascinated by muggles, and she had inherited that from him. "Does your family have any traditions?"

Edith paused. _Yeah, they lock me in the cupboard with vents so I can be forced to watch them shower Dudley with affection and presents while I'm lucky if I get an apple before I have to clean everything up._ "Nothing special. Dancia and her mum invited me over to their place for the holidays, so I've got that going for me."

"Sounds like fun." Ginny said as they entered the Great Hall. "I might spend a few days with Astoria and Daphne too. Maybe we can all meet up sometime."

"Maybe." Edith said thoughtfully. _Uncle Vernon's house has enough sleeping material for fifteen people if we move the couch and chairs a bit._ "Maybe during the summer. I don't have much going on then after the first week or two." _The legalities probably won't take longer than that._

Ginny smiled brightly. "Sounds like fun! I'll ask mum and dad about it."

Dancia was back at the Slytherin table. She was pale and tired, but otherwise healthy, which was a huge improvement over how she'd been feeling the past few days. She waved Edith and Ginny over and started a conversation; at one point the diary came up. Ginny gave Edith a quick worried look before lying and saying it had gotten lost. Meanwhile, Edith looked thoughtful.

After dinner, she slipped out to the owlry and pulled over one of the school owls. She had gotten Dancia's address during the summer, but she hadn't sent a letter to her parents before. But now she was.

 _ ****~At Malfoy Manor~****_

Narcissa paced outside her daughter's room, anger and anxiety warring in equal measure.

She knew something was wrong with her daughter – she had gotten word from the nurse – but _why_ it had happened wasn't being explained. Her husband was being very guarded as well, spending all his time with the Board of Governers. Of course Narcissa knew what kind of man she was married to, she wasn't a fool, but she wasn't a party to what Lucius was up to.

Their marriage had been an arranged one, and there wasn't much love in it. There rarely was when contracts were involved – especially for a Black. What had happened to her sister Bellatrix was a testament to that.

"Mistress, a letter."

Narcissa idly took it from her house elf before sending him away, turning it over and frowning in surprise. It was Potter. Why was she sending a letter now? Had...had Dancia's condition worsened? Her worry increasing, Narcissa opened the letter and started reading...

 _Miss Malfoy_

 _Dancia got hurt because of a book that possessed her. It's locked up in my trunk now, so it isn't hurting her any more, but not before she got possessed. It used to belong to a Tom Marvolo Riddle._

 _Tom Marvolo Riddle – I Am Lord Voldemort._

 _I think one of your husband's old friends wants to 'avenge' their old defeat, no matter who gets hurt along the way._

 _-Edith Potter_

Narcissa's fingers tightened until the page ripped at the edges.

She knew what book Potter was referring to. She knew where it came from.

And this was the last straw.

"Dobby! I have an errand to run. Take me to Gringotts."

 **End Chapter**

 **Watch out, angry Black sibling coming through! It's funny that I've always found Bellatrix to be one of the most entertaining characters in Harry Potter despite how insane she is, so you can bet she'll be showing up later. Hence the hint here.**

 **Read and Review please!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Cult Potter**

 _ **Wanda: Holiday Episode for the win! Unexpected three day weekend has been very kind to me.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own. Obviously.**_

 **Chapter 15: Winter Holidays**

Edith lounged in one of the many armchairs in the Malfoy – sorry, Black – estate, idly turning the pages of her newspaper. The winter holidays hadn't come fast enough; for all the reading and studying she did exams were still mentally taxing and preparing for them always caused an attack of nerves at some point. Hermione in particular looked like she was loosing sleep over the approaching deadline; no matter how much Cho tried to help the other girl's habits the brunette would always have a tenancy to be overprepared. While Edith believed she was adequately prepared – more than enough so, perhaps – that didn't mean she didn't have a headache from late night cramming. Studying was a frustrating process; she was much happier regarding the fruits of her over-the-shoulder communications towards various people.

Hagrid had indeed been exonerated within a few weeks; a combination of Amelia Bones's hatred of clearly shoddy police work and a review of Myrtle's death records had gotten him off quite nicely. Edith received a happy letter informing her that the gentle half giant was able to purchase a new wand and would be able to complete his schooling via a correspondence course from America.

Edith was quite pleased; what Hagrid didn't know it she was responsible for the flyer advertising it ending up in his mail before she left for holidays. She should ask Sally a bit more about it, if that program offered summer courses or the like.

Of course, what was on the front page wasn't Hagrid's fifty-year-late exoneration, but the arrest of Lucius Malfoy at the hands of his wife. Narcissa had been sitting on considerable evidence of her husband's manipulation of Hogwarts and the bribes he had regularly been dropping into Minister Fudge's pockets whenever unfavourable legislation was presented to the court. Narcissa presented memories to Bones, who immediately had the preening peacock thrown behind bars where he belonged.

Though just before that, Narcissa had made a point of draining Lucius's primary bank account, redacting a few Malfoy lands, and cutting off the support he had been giving to some of his 'old friends'. Edith had been correct in deciphering that her daughter's life and wellbeing was more important than the dogma of a dead (?) man. The public was now well reminded that a wise man does not piss off a woman with the last name of Black.

Once she had arrived at the Mansion and Narcissa had asked to speak with her privately, Edith had handed over the diary. Narcissa told her that it was a dangerous thing; it had once belonged to Voldemort, and even Lucius hadn't been exactly sure what its properties were. For that reason, it was now safely locked away in one of the building's many studies.

"You seem to be good at running into trouble." Narcissa remarked.

"It's amazing how choosing which street to walk down can change your afternoon." Edith responded with a small smile. Narcissa had chuckled and given the young girl a meaningful smirk before sending her off for lunch.

 _She's an interesting one. Perhaps I should offer to tutor her in the ways of the world alongside Dancia once they start approaching their majority._

With that mess out of the way, Edith had asked Dancia if she could borrow Dobby, the house elf, for a few days. It had spawned an interesting conversation when Hermione had met him.

"You don't pay him anything? He...just does all the dirty work for whoever his Master is?" Hermione asked, her brow furrowing in the way that warned of how uncomfortable the idea made her.

Dancia just looked confused at the question. "Yes. That's what house elves do."

"But then...he's your slave?" Hermione asked, her face going slightly red.

Dancia, to her credit, looked affronted at this. "Granger! Have a little faith! Serving, aiding and protecting a family is so deeply embedded in a house elf's psyche that to do anything else is seen as a rejection of being! The bond helps stabilize their magic and gives them a purpose in life. Otherwise the psychological strain often leaves them dead."

Hermione seemed a bit mollified by this, though she still wasn't entirely convinced. "You...you treat him well, at least?"

Dancia gave the muggleborn a small sarcastic smile. "Much better than others have in my position, I can admit that much."

Once that was settled, Edith had asked Dobby to spy on her 'relatives' house to see if they were falling for the bait. The little elf nearly melted; "Nobody ever _asks_ Dobby for anything – like an – like an _equal_ -" and Edith knew that she had inadvertently gained his eternal loyalty in the space of two minutes.

Oh well; happy accidents happen.

What she found out was not surprising, but extremely gratifying – Vernon had 'accidentally' stumbled across her planted stash of gold not a week after she had left, and he had spent it like a madman. Dobby reported across the week that the Dursley house had been topped up, twice, there were two different sports cars in the driveway, and Petunia didn't go anywhere without wearing $300 dollar coats with mink trimming. Dobby also mentioned that 'the black and white carriages' were seen loitering at the corners of Little Whining whenever Vernon was out and about. Edith then 'borrowed' Vernon's tax returns card at the end of the week, and chuckled to herself. She didn't have to change hardly anything; Vernon's naturally greedy nature was doing most of the work for her. He hadn't adjusted his taxes to commend his new 'income'. _It's a sign of what Vernon was like, that he would put two entire levels on his house that a three person family can't even use. Though I suppose that does give Dudley three other bedrooms to leave garbage in._

 _I could probably break down a few walls and turn the second floor into an alchemy laboratory when I pull the rug out from under them. The third floor is for books and guests, the basement can act as a makeshift jail cell for when I start making bigger waves..._

Tristan barked and licked her fingers. Chuckling, Edith rubbed him between the ears. "Alright, I'm getting up...is it dinner already? Good lord."

" _That's my girl, always getting distracted._ "

"Yeah, I gue-" Edith abruptly paused and looked around the room. "Wait, what? Who said that?"

Tristan tilted his head. For the first time, Edith noticed that his familiar collar was glowing faintly. " _I did, silly human pup. Who else?_ "

"Buh-what?!"

Edith was snapped out of her surprise by someone laughing. Turning her surprised/annoyed gaze towards the door, she found Daphne covering her mouth with one hand as she snickered. "I told you that you'd have to wait and see," The blonde teased.

"So I can talk to him?" Edith asked.

"Yes." Daphne walked across the hall and lightly petted Tristan on his snout. Tristan growled playfully and shook her hand with his paw. "The powers develop at an age-relevant rate, depending on how strong the familiar bond is. That, and there is some failsafe spell to ensure that little kids don't get more than they bargined for. Communication is always the first one to unlock."

Edith's eye twitched. "And you didn't tell me this when you gave it to me, so when it happened I wouldn't have a heart attack _because_...?"

"Tell you? And miss the look on your face?" Daphne chuckled. When Edith's death glare intensified, she raised one hand calmingly and said, "I felt it was best experienced for yourself. My cat Armide played a prank on me when our bond first activated, and I thought I'd share the love."

"Armide?" Edith asked, raising one eyebrow.

Daphne gave her a dignified nod. "I have been, and always will be, a student of the fine arts."

"Did...did a pure blood just quote Star Trek?" Sally, who had appeared in the doorway a moment later, said in shock. When Daphne turned to look at her, the Hufflepuff threw her arms in the air and said, "That's it! The world's ending, tell me how much time I have left, can I at least say goodbye to my loved ones?"

"Oh, _stop_!" Daphne said mock indigently while Edith hid her laughter with a hilariously fake coughing fit. " _You're_ the one who introduced me to it!"

"Then I've corrupted you! Even better! The wheel of fate has turned!" Sally laughed, before shrieking and taking off running as Daphne lunged at her. So the chase began, with Edith following slowly behind as she tried to control her amusement.

" _Will Sally be alright?_ " Tristan asked, confused that a clear (in his mind) predatory chase was being treated with levity.

" _Of course. It's just playfighting. Sally tends to bring out Daphne's less ladylike side._ " Edith informed her familiar.

Tristan cocked his head. " _Then Sally is Daphne's mate?"_

Edith paused; she genuinely hadn't given any thought to that. " _I...think it's a bit too early to tell." But I will be_ hanged _if Tristan notices something that important before_ I _do._ " _They do get along like a house on fire, though...I wonder..."_

" _Mates are important."_ Tristan said. " _I miss my mate. We were separated by the monster who_ owned _me before you do."_ The wolf breed growled low in his throat at the mention of the man. Edith looked at him in concern; Tristan brushed against her leg for comfort. " _Sorry. I did not mean to think about him._ "

" _You can't help that. What happened to him_?"

Tristan snarled, contempt mixed with triumph in his rugged voice. " _Died with his throat slashed. A man wolf was responsible; I barely managed to escape it._ "

" _A werewolf?_ Edith asked.

" _I don't know what the two legs call them; they are men most of the time, but when the full moon rises, they become wolflike creatures."_ Tristan explained.

" _I see; so it was a werewolf._ " Edith realized. " _Do you think your mate is still alive?_ "

" _I can sense her in my heart still. I can only hope. You should ensure that Sally and Daphne remain close together; to be separated from a mate is terribly painful_." Tristan said.

" _I'm not sure they're-you seem oddly convinced on this note._ " Edith gave her familiar a curious look. " _I'm surprised."_

Tristan cocked his head slightly as they approached the dining room. " _It is uncommon, but I have seen two female wolves choose each other among the available suitors. Why do you ask?"_

"Just that some idiots make assumptions about non humans. I was just curious." Edith responded. Again Tristan looked oddly at her – probably thinking about how weird humans were and how they insist on convoluted social rules for themselves.

Dancia, Flora, Hestia and Susan were already sitting at the table. Sally and Daphne stumbled into the room just about the same time as Edith, looking tired but grinning like idiots. Tristan made a small 'wuffle' that might be wolfish laughter; Edith gave him a half amused look and sat down at her seat.

"Good evening girls. How was your day?" Narcissa asked genially as she sat at the head of the table. A snap of her fingers summoned Dobby; a moment later dinner was on the table. Edith happily dug in, tossing some bacon down to Tristan, who wolfed it down gleefully.

"It was quite nice, miss." Edith said. "I got some reading done. I hear Daphne and Sally were having some fun."

Sally stuck her tongue out at her, while Daphne flushed slightly. Dancia and Flora got a good giggle out of their embarrassment while Hestia rolled her eyes.

"I'm just glad I got to sleep in for once," Susan said jokingly. Usually, she had to be up by 7:30 because that's when her aunt had to leave for work. Amelia didn't like the idea of leaving Susan alone with just a house elf to make sure she had breakfast before 11.

Edith chuckled before turning her attention to her meal. Dancia looked a little bit lost, but infinitely more comfortable than when Lucius Malfoy had been hovering over her shoulder.

"I have news," Narcissa announced after a few minutes of silence.

"What is it mother?" Dancia asked, curious.

"Given that... _fop_ , has 'gone missing'." Narcissa made a face of utmost disgust at the mention of the man. Daphne's eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of the man. "Someone needs to step in so your Defence marks can hopefully recover in times for the exams. It took...some persuasion, but with Severus's assistance your new teacher will be me."

"Really!?" The girls all chorused at once. Dancia looked delighted, Edith surprised.

 _I'm surprised. Even with her divorced from Lucius, she is still a Black. I didn't think Dumbledore would want her anywhere near his 'children'. Given his attitude towards me being in Slytherin, Lucius when he arrived after Ron's freezing, either Professor Snape did a_ lot _of convincing, or someone in Ministry pulled rank. Huh._

"Yes, really." Narcissa said, her voice uncharacteristically warm. "I hope that you'll find my work behind that desk helpful."

"I'm sure we will." Flora said, grinning. "I read about you and your sisters preforming the 'Black Dance' during one of the original attacks on Hogwarts. The rest of this year is going to be _awesome_!"

"'Black Dance?'" Edith asked curiously.

Narcissa's expression turned secretive again; "It's a kind of warrior style, employed by the Black family. I can't describe the nature of it to anyone not within the family, but yes. Andromeda, Bellatrix and I used it to defend our fellow students during that assault."

"I don't think I've read about that one yet," Edith said curiously.

Narcissa's eyes grew distant for a moment. "I'm sure its in the archives in the library somewhere. Perhaps when you return to school, you can learn more."

Edith nodded slightly and turned her attention back to her food. It didn't escape her notice that Dancia rarely talked about her aunts, and only mentioned her uncles – Sirius and Regulus – very briefly, in passing.

She wondered what had happened to them.

 **End Chapter**

 _ **So Yeah! Tristan speaks, we get a hint of Sirius upcoming (THAT will be fun to tackle, especially with Edith at the wheel instead of Harry) mentions of Bellatrix, and Narcissa as Defence teacher.**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	17. Chapter 17

**Cult Potter**

 _ **Wanda: I'm reaching third year! This is exciting! Shit is about to hit the fan, people.**_

 ** _Side note - Narcissa is more fun to write then I realized._**

 ** _Disclaimer: Yada yada, I do not own, it's back in the first chapter too._**

 **Chapter 16 Interlude: History and Duelling**

The second half of second year at Hogwarts was looking to be much smoother sailing than the first half, at least it would be smoother for Edith and her friends. The first thing she did upon returning was take Ginny, Astoria and Luna Lovegood down to the Chamber where Ama slept and introduced the three to her other familiar.

Astoria was intimidated. Ginny, however, wasn't – laughing and scratching Ama around the head, giving her pet names and asking to play with her. "She's so pretty! Aren't you pretty, Ama? Who would lock up something so adorable?"

Ama made a clicking noise, a basilisk equivalent to cooing. She lowered her head and nudged the small redhead affectionately.

"You're taking this awfully well." Edith chuckled. "I figured you would have at least flinched when she came out."

"Oh, I've seen all kinds of cool creatures thanks to my brother Charlie." Ginny responded. "When you see dragons up close, you come to appreciate how pretty the reptile family is!"

Astoria got over her nerves at this and gave Ama a little pet herself. "So she was the one who turned Ron to stone?"

"She was being influenced by magic." Edith explained. "That, and the poor thing hadn't eaten anything proper in years."

"Aww," Luna said, hugging Ama's long neck. "You've fixed that, right?"

"Of course. Sorry Ama, but we need to start heading back to the dorms now."

Ama's muzzle shivered. " _That's okay. I'm happy to have some more friends now. It gets lonely down here sometimes."_

" _Maybe you and Tristan should start hanging out in the Forbidden Forest. I think Hagrid would be happy for another scary friend to be hanging around his house."_ Edith suggested.

Ama perked up at that. " _That would be nice."_

"What do you think Dancia's mum will teach tomorrow?" Ginny asked as they exited the Chamber (Ama had shown Edith where it was before the winter break had begun) and headed back towards the Slytherin dorm.

"I don't know. She's only a temporary placement until next year starts, and no thanks to Lockhart we haven't exactly been sticking to the curriculum." Edith said lazily, tossing her wand up in the air as she walked. "Personally, I hope she teaches Duelling. There's a subject I want to get more advanced learning on."

"You've been teaching us to do that for a while now," Astoria said curiously.

"I've helped with the basics," Edith corrected. "I want to learn more. I want to do _better_."

"...Are you sure you and Hermione really aren't fraternal twins separated at birth by a very confused muggle nurse?" Luna asked innocently.

Edith mock scowled and lightly tapped the blonde on the back of the head, and they all got a good chuckle. "C'mon, Luna. You _know_ Hermione prefers reading and politics to combat." The older girl said in amusement. "She thinks its 'barbaric'."

"It is not!" Ginny said indigently, spinning on one foot like a ballerina and pointing her wand at invisible enemies all around the deserted hallway. "It's elegant! It's a dance of the most intense nature."

"You should describe it that way to Professor Flitwick," Astoria snickered. "I'd love to see his expression!"

Edith smiled; Ginny's sense of humour never failed to make her feel better about her day. "Alright, you three go enjoy your break. At this rate, I'm going to be late for my new class."

 _ ****~In the Great Hall~****_

"Attention!"

Narcissa's amplified voice boomed over the large emptied hall. The combined Gryffindor-Hufflepuff-Ravenclaw-Slytherin second year class stopped their animated conversations and immediately fell in line out of sheer intimidation. Narcissa was dressed quite differently from usual. Instead of silk shirts and high heels, she wore a black vest and pants that glinted slightly in the firelight, as if there was metal or something similar embedded in the fabric. Her hair was tied back in a single low braid.

The students had all been instructed to dress in a similar way, and instead of the usual single or compound classes the new DADA professor had summoned them all down to the Great Hall. The dinner tables had been removed, leaving a large working place.

"Welcome to Defence Against the Dark Arts, the class that has been so sorely under preforming the last ten years or so that a muggle could raise its general grade." Narcissa said, her eyes cool and disdainful. A couple of Gryffindors snickered uneasily, only to be silenced by a flat glare. "For this class, I believe in practical work over written tests. As such, this will function as your introduction to Duelling."

Edith and Sally exchanged eager grins, while Hermione face faulted. Daphne patted her on the shoulder while grinning up at the new boss.

"Now, while duelling rules won't help much in sudden attacks, not using them would be a safety risk considering your age. So, who can tell me the two cardinal rules? Yes, Miss Greengrass?"

"Two witches or wizards face each other in equal combat, with wands and no armor." Daphne recited. "No outside interference is permitted, and the duel ends when one side is either unconscious or has lost their wand."

"Correct." Narcissa nodded in approval. "For the sake of not giving Poppy undue work load, practice duels will end once a person has lost their wand. Anyone who deliberately disobeys this rule will be suspended faster than you can say 'my mistake'. Understood?!"

"Yes Professor Black!" The crowd chorused anxiously.

"Good." Narcissa said. "Before we get started, I have the pleasure of inviting Professor Flitwick to help me demonstrate what a pitched duel looks like."

The class turned around in surprise to see the charms professor standing in the doorway. "Did you not know?" Blaise whispered as he approached, "Professor Flitwick won the International Duelling Championships three times in a row."

"I'm flattered you offered me the opportunity, Miss Black," Flitwick said modestly.

"I _really_ wish I had some popcorn right about now," Sally whispered enthusiastically as Narcissa and Flitwick took their place on either end of the raised table in the middle of the Hall. Students clustered around it, eager to get a good view.

"Don't cheapen it with words," Dancia agreed, eyes gleaming. She knew what her mother was capable of, but would she be able to defeat Flitwick?

The answer to that was...almost. Narcissa had more offensive heft than Flitwick, but the diminutive Professor won through trickery and planting traps, managing just barely to get the Black's wand away from her. Narcissa wasn't too bothered by loosing; Edith saw the flash of respect and even admiration in her eyes when Flitwick helped her stand again and handed her back her wand.

The entire hall burst into applause.

"Now, who would like to volunteer?" Narcissa asked.

"I will." Edith offered, jumping up onto the table. Narcissa smiled at that. "This is exciting!"

Pansy Parkinson watched and decided it was time to put Potter in her place. "I'll go as well." She said snootily. She noticed Davis smothering her snickers and glared at her. What was so funny?!

Edith faced her opponent and tried to suppress her amusement. Pansy had no idea what she was in for; it was so cute that this piece of arm candy thought she could defeat someone who actually had to defend herself on a consistent basis.

"Begin!" Narcissa called.

"Levicorpus!" Edith barked. Pansy let out a shriek as she was yanked into the air by her ankle. "Stupify!" The girl was thrown backwards by the deliberately underpowered spell, landing at Flitwick's feet.

For a moment Edith pondered humiliating Pansy further, but shrugged it off. "Expelliarmus!" Parkinson's wand went flying through the air and she caught it with grace.

"Finished! That was a staggering victory! You've impressed me, Potter." Narcissa said.

Dancia felt a twinge of jealousy; her mother's opinions didn't come cheaply. Internally she vowed to improve her abilities until she could duel Edith to a standstill.

"Now that you know how this works, I want you all to partner up and start practicing!" Narcissa barked.

"Yes Professor!"

 **End Chapter**

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	18. Chapter 18

**Cult Potter**

 _ **Wanda: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate it! And now, it's time for Dursley Retribution! I hope it was worth the wait for you guys, because I had a ball writing this!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: Yada yada, do not own, said this in the first chapter.**_

 **Chapter 17: Down with the Dursleys**

"I'm glad we had your mother there for Defence Against the Dark Arts! It's too bad that she won't be returning next year." Ginny said as she, Dancia, Edith and their friends stepped off the train from Hogwarts and onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters. The sun was shining brightly and the sky was clear, all of which put the young witches and wizards in a good mood, that and they managed to spend half a year with an actual decent teacher.

Considering the state of the DADA post for the last fifty years, that was certainly something to celebrate.

Edith, meanwhile, was happy for another reason. She was getting ready to rid herself of her aunt, uncle and cousin for good.

She even pondered adding Aunt Marge Dursley to her little scheme, though in the end she reluctantly decided that her documents would probably have too many inconsistencies should she try to pull that off.

Besides, given Marge's temperament, she may very well walk into a different trap Edith could prepare for her later on. Assault would probably be the most likely.

Edith calmly walked over to the Dursleys. Vernon was smirking and lording it up while Petunia couldn't resist occasionally twirling in her five hundred dollar dress. They felt untouchable, which was probably why they didn't greet her with their customary scorn and thinly concealed anger/contempt whenever they had to pick her up.

Flora waved at her and smirked; the two girls had planned to meet in the evening to set the scheme in motion – she would be there to help Edith use the necessary charms to sway the police into not trying to put her with her 'next of kin'. As if Marge would be any more willing to house her with kindness than her brother was. Even less so, to be honest.

So when Edith slipped into the back seat of the four door Aston Martin, she ignored Dudley's loud new playstation and pulled out one of her many, many books on history and lore. They wouldn't be smiling for much longer.

 _ ****~Later that day~****_

"So let me see if I've understood you correctly, alright? Your aunt and uncle have abused you both verbally and physically?"

The small, scared voice on the other end of the phone line made a noise of affirmation. The cop gritted his teeth to keep control of his temper, and managed to maintain his calm, friendly and caring manner.

"And you've been forced to do their tax forms? You think the numbers still don't add up?"

Another yes.

"Son of a...alright, Miss...Edith Potter, right?" The girl repeated her name with some relief, as if she wasn't used to hearing it. The man's grip on the phone tightened further, turning his knuckles white. "Stay calm and stay where you are; we'll have some squad cars down on the block as soon as possible."

"Thank you sir," The young girl said.

Officer Al Murphy hung up before snarling, "lousy bastards...Hey! Dennis! Falman! We've got a tip off for the Dursleys."

"So we're certain they've been embezzling. And committing fraud?" Dennis asked as the three men walked down the halls.

"Yeah. Want to know why we never see their niece around?" Falman shook his head, so Al bit out, "Because they've been keeping her locked in a damned boot cupboard under the stairwell."

Dennis's eyes narrowed. "That would explain a lot. So we can finally throw the book at those bastards?"

"Absolutely."

 _ ****~At the Dursleys~****_

Edith lay on her side in the cupboard, having smudged dirt on her face to help with the act. She hoped she looked reasonably battered, and that she would manage to keep from smiling until they were at the station.

The police made quick time. They kicked the door down and 'rescued' her from the cupboard about half an hour after she made her dramatic call. Vernon was swearing up a blue streak as he was marched out the front door and read his rights.

What Edith savoured the most was Petunia's reaction. A huge chunk of the neighbourhood had come out to see what the ruckus was about, and all of her friends/associates/toadies were seeing her for what she was – a thieving child abuser, arrested and put in handcuffs on her own lawn while her model husband fumed and swore impotently.

 _I really should talk to Tracey about getting this memory into a Pensieve,_ Edith mused. _I want to be able to enjoy this moment whenever I please._

Flora, disguised in the bushes, gave her a discreet thumbs up. Edith grinned and waved in response, indicating for her friend to go in through the back door and wait for her to return where she would pose as one Dorea Black.

Edith was brought to the station, where a nice constable sat her down in a separate room and asked her about her history. Edith pretended at first to be nervous and unwilling to talk, but a box of smarties later and she was talking as animatedly as Luna whenever her father's paper, the Quibbler, came up in conversation. She told a huge variation of stories, about being kicked out of the house and having to wander the streets looking for shelter, having to do all the chores, being denied food, Vernon's violent fits where he would beat her up, Dudley's tendency to beat her up (she left out Duncan, Matt and Piers's role in that – she had forgiven them a long time ago), Petunia's screaming verbal abuse, the works. The man's face grew darker the longer she talked, taking notes on his pad, and later he left and came back in with a lawyer.

The lawyer – once Jack McCoy – was a young hotshot and eager to put the accused behind bars. Edith liked his eagerness and dedication to his job. Perhaps she'd keep his number in case of future legal matters...she'd inevitably have some, considering her plots.

She repeated the essentials of her story, and he promised the Dursleys would go away for it. He also assured her she wouldn't have to go live with Marge, though she likely would only be given a fee as an accessory since she didn't visit too often.

Edith didn't mind that either. She had her own ways of tormenting dear old Marge.

She didn't mind the large returns on the money – she could return the balance and more with the Sorcerer's Stone, though she at least would be smart enough to launder it through pseudonyms and such.

At the end of the day, the police gave her a pat on the head and said she could go home. Edith had one last thing she wanted to do, though...

 ****~In Vernon's Cell~****

Vernon fumed in his cell, having already screamed himself hoarse since his arrest nearly ten hours ago. How could this happen? He had thought he had friends in the office, thanks to that hippie wizard who had dropped the freak off on their doorstep. That's why no one had interfered with his perfect, normal life before.

The door opened, revealing the Freak herself. She nodded at the officer, who made a 'five minutes' gesture before closing the door behind her.

The Freak calmly walked up to the seat in front of the dividing glass screen between them. Then she grinned, and started to laugh.

Vernon felt his stomach drop even as his face turned red with rage. "What's. So. Funny. Freak?!"

" _You're_ funny." Freak informed him between snickers. "I didn't think you'd take the hook so easily, but you _did_! This didn't take _nearly_ as much work as I had expected."

"What..." Vernon demanded, understanding but not willing to believe.

"You _imbecile_ ," Freak crowed, laughing and hitting her head against the back of the high backed seat. "You _really_ think those bars of gold in my closet were a _coincidence_? You _really_ think I didn't know you were using them to line your pockets?"

"W-What?! Y-You're lying! T-There's no way a _freak_ like you could-"

Freak regarded him like a circus show entertainer – everything he said just amused her more. "It's called the Sorcerer Stone, uncle. It grants a long lifespan, and turns things into gold. I planted those there and I _hoped_ you would use them. As if I would do so out of the kindness of my heart, especially towards _you_...but you would _never_ have seen the catch."

"H-How dare you! After we fed you, clothed you, took you into our home-"

"Yes, after you gave me Petunia's twenty-year-old hand me downs while giving Dudley thirty six presents for his birthday, fed me the scraps after dinner was eaten (which you usually forced me to make, mind you) and beat me up whenever you got drunk, forcing me to flee and spend half my life wandering the streets to keep myself marginally safe?" Freak said scornfully. "You're the _soul_ of charity, uncle."

Vernon choked, unable to work up a proper scream because of his injured throat.

Freak leaned back in her chair and smirked at him. "You know, as a business man, I thought you would have known better then to give someone who you've given every reason to hate you access to your tax returns. If I hadn't been forced to grow up quickly, they wouldn't have meant anything to me but extra math. But no, you wanted me to do absolutely everything while you wallowed in your excess and lack of responsibility."

"You might have gotten people to believe I was just complaining about normal discipline if you hadn't also cheated on your tax returns. It caused people to look closely at your history and realized the pattern of your treatment of me, which _screamed_ abuse. You did yourself in, and I only had to pull a few strings here and there."

Freak burst into another laughing fit when she examined his face.

"Y-You won't get away with this!" Vernon sputtered.

"Oh, uncle." Freak smirked. "I already have."

"The freak who told us to take care of you-"

"Even Dumbledore can't afford to come and rescue you – there are too many eyewitnesses." Freak interupted. "Did you really think that hadn't occurred to me?"

Vernon made another interesting noise – like a mouse cornered by a cat. He couldn't believe what he was hearing – every avenue of escape he raised, she shot down without a slight change of expression.

Slowly it dawned on him that this girl had been planning his fall from grace for a long, long time.

"Your arrest was on the late night news. You'd need a whole team of obliviators to even _begin_ to salvage your reputation, and the Ministry won't spare the men necessary for that. They think it's too much of a hassle, and they don't care much for mundane people like you to begin with. And they don't know enough about the modern muggle to prevent the spread of social media. _There. Is. No. Way. Out. This. Time._ " Freak enunciated, leaning forward and regarding him contemptuously.

Her sharp green eyes, just like her mother's, stabbed at him like knives.

"The Dursley name is going down as that of a bunch of child abusers and tax evaders. All the neighbours will cut ties with you to protect their own reputations, and that's if you get out of jail in time for it to matter."

And then suddenly Freak was smiling again, leaning back against her chair. "If I was going to estimate, your sentence will be in the ball park of twenty to life. Better watch your back, uncle – I hear they don't care much for child abusers in prison."

"Y-You can't leave us here like this!"

"Just like you couldn't mistreat me?" Freak asked, amused. "Like you laughed in my face whenever I pleaded with you to not hurt me? Please, uncle, by all means – attempt to convince me."

"We're family!" Vernon tried. He didn't want to be locked up!

"Because you have a history of acknowledging how you cherish the 'freak' in your family." Freak remarked, pretending to examine her nails.

"B-But it's a principle! You can't turn your back on family."

"Hahahaha! That's a good joke, uncle. Perhaps you can carve out a role for yourself as the prison comedian." Freak chuckled, standing up. "Well, my time is almost up. As a witch, I have multiple ways to torment you even inside prison...but now that I'm here...ah, you know what? You're not even worth it anymore."

"I'm going to walk out of this station and never think of you or my aunt again. But I'm fairly certain you're going to think of me _every day for the rest of your life_."

The door opened, and Freak sauntered through it without ever looking back at the prune faced, desperately yelling Vernon Dursley.

 ****~Line Break~****

Flora greeted Edith at the doorway, a huge smirk on her face. "So. How did it go?"

Edith's response was to collapse on the couch and start laughing. "It was amazing. But now I'm _really freakin tired_."

"Well it _is_ three am." Flora noted dryly.

"Great!" Edith said, swinging back to her feet and staring blankly into the living room. "Hm. I should really have a Floo entrance installed here."

"Uh, yeah – sleep _now_ , think interior decorating tomorrow," Flora instructed, pulling her friend towards the stairwell. "But yeah, you should definitely install a floo. It beats the hell of taking the damned Knight Bus."

 **End Chapter**

 _ **Next time, Edith invites her friends over for a summer party, during which there is a troubling newscast about a murderer named Sirius Black, the first to ever escape Azkaban...what will Edith think when she discovers that little bit of history?**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	19. Chapter 19

**Cult Potter**

 _ **Wanda: Oh RWBY, you're such an awesome show, and you always give me good ideas! Here's the bridge to year three, everyone, I hope you enjoy it. Edith is creating her base of operations, and plotting further. Since this year is the time and place where she'll be getting more information on how the history and politics of the Ministry/Dumbledore/Voldemort work, her plotting will start kicking into a higher gear. She'll start making wider-than-Hogwarts-waves in fourth year.**_

 _ **(cackles) Fifth year is going to be a blast. Standard disclaimer, see first chapter.**_

 **Chapter 18: The Azkaban Escapee**

"Welcome to my humble home," Edith said grandly as she opened the door and let her fourteen or so friends inside. Ginny and Ron were looking around in awe; they hadn't been this far into the mundane world before and everything was fascinating to them.

"It doesn't _look_ very humble," Sally noted dryly as she examined the gaudy excess on the ground floor; Vernon had paid for the whole place to get repainted and there were expensive toys simply lying all over the floor.

"Yeah, well my aunt and uncle were not humble people. I'll pay for someone to give this place a makeover while I'm at school." Edith said. Hestia walked over and pressed the Sorcerer Stone back into her hand. The redhead grinned at her. "Thank you for taking care of my good luck charm."

"Only you would call a Sorcerer Stone a 'good luck charm'." Tracey joked.

"Come on! Let's get some lunch, then I'll give you a tour. I'm taking advice on how to turn this place into something less ostentatious." Edith said, waving for everyone to come to the kitchen.

Blaise and Dancia both found themselves transfixed by the stove and the microwave as Edith went about cooking pasta and toasting bread for the meal. Hermione seemed greatly amused by this, and patiently explained everything that the pure bloods didn't understand, which included the light switches and the telephone. Eventually the table was set, with Ginny, Astoria, Luna and Ron at the furthest end, Flora, Hestia, Susan, Hannah, Tracey and Daphne on either side, and Edith, Sally, Blaise and Dancia at the other end.

"Oh my god, you have drinks that _aren't pumpkin juice!_ I LOVE THE MUGGLE WORLD!" Susan shrieked in delight before draining her milk glass dry. Hannah giggled at her friend's enthusiasm, she too had gotten rather sick of the plant though she was just drinking water.

"Can I have more?" Ginny asked, pushing her emptied pasta bowl forward a bit. This was the first time someone had finished a meal faster than Ron; obviously the food was catching on too.

"Sure. There's plenty to go around." Edith responded. Ginny grinned and headed back into the kitchen with Luna at her heels.

"So, you said something about installing a Floo in this place two nights ago?" Flora asked.

"Yeah. I mean I want the entrance to be somewhat selective – I don't want just anyone strolling into my house – but it would make travelling easier." Edith said. "I did a bit of research, but most of the construction companies are public, and I don't want to draw attention to it."

"My father knows some private companies," Daphne said thoughtfully. "I could ask him about it. Some of them are bound to have confidentiality clauses."

"Thanks, Daphne. Could you send the letter after lunch? Just so I can get everything set up at once."

"Of course."

"I mean to turn the second floor into a potions lab." Edith went on. "I have some of the junior equipment already, but I want more. It also occurs to me I'll want a couple house elves maintaining this place while I'm at school. Even if I put wards up, people might ask questions if the house seems totally abandoned for most of the year."

"I can help with that." Blaise offered. "My mom knows people from weird places." He added when Hermione and Hannah gave him odd looks.

"Great. Thanks Blaise. So, who wants a tour?" Edith suggested.

Finishing up lunch was much easier than in the past – the detection suppressors Edith had crafted the previous year were working wonders, allowing the students to charm the dishes to clean themselves like a scene out of the Sword in the Stone. Then, as a group, they all went up to the second floor.

Edith pushed the door to Dudley's primary bedroom and looked around with an irritable expression. There were expensive toys and knick nacks spread all over the place without a care in the world. "I knew Dudley had no sense of social taste, but you think he'd be a bit more careful with his toys. Sally, would you help me drag most of this stuff out to a charity bin?"

"Sure." Sally said absently, goggling at how careless the boy had been. She knew what an utter hellspawn Dudley was from Edith's stories, but she still hadn't quite imagined how bad he really was. Even Hestia and Flora, who had met him, looked surprised.

Meanwhile, Ron was envious. "Merlin. He could have had any toy he wanted, and he wasn't even grateful for it."

Edith glanced over at him and Ginny, who were both looking about somewhat enviously. She remembered that the Weasleys didn't have much money, and asked, "Hey, feel free to take anything that interests you. I don't mind."

Ron looked at her in surprise. "Really?"

Edith rolled her eyes affectionately. "No, I like to speak for the sole pleasure of hearing my own voice. Yes, really, Ron. Go ahead."

Eyes gleaming, Ron went straight for the portable DVD and CD player, while Ginny picked up a slightly bent air rifle.

"Hm, take down that wall and that wall and you've got about the same amount of room as Professor Snape's potions class," Hannah volunteered, having measured the room's width and length while everyone else was talking. "Of course, you probably don't want your room too close to it if that's the case."

"Oh, I'm moving to the master bedroom on the third floor." Edith said with a wave of her hand. "That room was already serving as a small lab to begin with."

The group moved into the next room. Sure enough, there were more Dudley toys and purchases scattered all over the place. The bathroom on the second floor was stuffed to the brim with expensive soaps and perfumes.

"Oh, god. Spare us the thought of your aunt trying to pretty herself up." Susan said, shuddering.

Edith snickered. "Sorry. They're just there for when we get a bit older. And besides – if you think that's bad, be glad you haven't met my uncle's sister yet."

Hermione went green at the face. "She's not great either, huh?"

"She might be worse than uncle Vernon, to be honest," Edith said casually, causing her friends to look at her with pure alarm. "I'd almost feel sorry for Dudley now being her ward, if not for, well, everything. That and the fact that he's been shipped off to boarding school to deal with his attitude."

Flora snickered. She knew that Vernon and Petunia had perpetuated the lie that Edith went to a school for the 'Incurably Criminal'. The fact that Dudley was going there instead was another proof of the existence of Lady Karma and her vengeful nature.

"You guys can stay in any room you like," Edith went on as the group made their way up the stairs. "Obviously there are a number of beds and roll out mattresses, not to mention the couch downstairs can roll out into a bed as well. There's no lack of room in this place now."

Once they were on the third floor, Edith took a glance into the Master bedroom. There was a huge, fancy king sized bed there with imported sheets – _I see you spared no expense, uncle._ It looked pretty nice, though those pictures of the Dursley family _had_ to go.

"You should probably go muggle for the initial remodelling. Just so fewer questions are asked." Sally suggested.

"I agree. But I'm going to get my house elves first." Edith said.

"I could always lend you Dobby," Dancia offered.

"Thanks, but I'd like to have some elves stay here year round."

"What are you planning to do with the basement?" Tracey asked as the group finished their exploration.

"I'm not sure yet. Maybe they could be _makeshift cells_ that I can throw Aunt Marge in if she comes to by to annoy me." Edith said with a cackle. Tracey and Daphne both burst into unladylike snickers at that, while Ginny just grinned.

"You can never go wrong with cells." Susan noted.

"So speaks the daughter of a law enforcer," Astoria said innocently. Daphne did a double take while Susan fist bumped the younger Greengrass sister.

"...Shall we start cleaning this place up?" Blaise suggested.

"Sounds like _fun_!" Tracey said with a grin. Edith thought for a second before nodding in agreement and smirking. The group split up, with Ron, Blaise, Dancia and Daphne taking the third floor, Edith, Ginny, Tracey, Sally and Susan taking the second floor, while Luna, Astoria, Hermione and Hannah took the first floor.

Picture frames with Vernon, Petunia and Dudley were smashed and thrown into the fire place, which Hermione promptly lit. The toys were gathered up, with one box for charity and the other for the Weasleys and Sally, who also admitted to not having many of her own toys. The drawers were emptied of Vernon/Petunia's clothes and legal papers, with again either went into boxes or the fire place. The bedrooms were cleaned and any trace of the original occupants blasted away until none remained. The bookshelves were reorganized, the attic emptied, and the wallpaper in some places replaced. Finally the groups all met up on the first floor and collapsed in front of the TV.

"Good work, everyone." Edith paused as something occurred to her. "...Who wants s'mores?"

Sally and Hermione's eyes lit up simultaneously. As a group they introduced their wizard raised counterparts to mundane camping treats, which were a runaway hit with Astoria and Luna. (Ron liked them too, though he tried to pretend he wasn't as hooked as he really was.)

In the middle of this snacking, Tracey turned the television on, flipping through the channels until they landed on a cartoon. Thus the wizards were introduced to the mundane pop culture gem that was Avatar the Last Airbender.

They got halfway through the first episode when it was interrupted by a news program. Hermione visibly pouted; she liked the show.

"...just in from the FBI, dangerous escaped convict Sirius Black has escaped from jail. The man who has killed thirteen individuals with a hand grenade thirteen years ago is now on the loose. If you think that you have seen him, contact the following number and stay safe..."

"Sirius _Black_?" Tracey squeaked, terrified.

"Who's Sirius Black?" Edith asked quietly.

"Sirius Black was Voldemort's second in command back during the first war!" Daphne explained, pale faced herself. "He had been a spy in the Order of the Phoenix, but when he showed his true colours Voldemort was destroyed. Peter Pettigrew tried to confront him in the streets, and Black _blew him up with a spell!_ All that was left of him and those poor muggle bystanders was one of his fingers."

"And he's out now?" Edith asked, both angry and alarmed. Voldemort's second in command...he probably didn't care much for her.

"How did he escape from Azkaban?" Ron asked, aghast. "It's the most secure prison in the world! It's guarded by Dementors! No one's ever escaped before!"

"The muggles probably won't know," Susan noted as the program came to an end, stating that Sirius was armed with a shotgun. "but I think Auntie Amelia will. She'll probably want us back at home when she finds out about this."

"Oh Edith! What if he comes after you!?" Sally asked, distressed.

Edith set her face. "I'll be ready. I've already faced his master once."

"Edith, he's really dangerous..."

"And so was Voldemort. I'm not going to be afraid of him no matter what he's done."

Dancia and Blaise, who had heard rumours of what had been kept from the public regarding the extent of Sirius Black's betrayals, exchanged uncertain glances. They didn't have all the details, so they wouldn't tell her yet, but they couldn't keep those facts away from her forever. Blaise was just worried about how she'd respond.

Tristan growled and lay his head on Edith's knee. The girl who lived scratched him behind the ears and muttered something under her breath.

"Do you think he'll make it to Hogwarts?" Hermione asked, biting her lip. "He has half of Britain looking for him now."

"If he can get out of Azkaban, I think it's a safe bet he can get anywhere." Ron muttered.

"What are Dementors?" Hannah asked nervously.

"Dementors are the monsters who guard Azkaban." Daphne explained in hushed tones. "They feed off joy. Just being near them sucks out all your happy thoughts until you're left with the worst experiences in your life. Inmates at Azkaban usually go mad within a few weeks."

"That's so inhumane!" Hermione exclaimed, shocked. "Even prisoners deserve better than that...!"

"Well, hopefully we won't have to meet any." Astoria said. "Right, Daphne? I mean, if he got past them once, no body would rely on them to prevent him from turning up. Right?"

Ginny frowned. "My dad says that politicians and common sense were to mutually exclusive concepts. The Ministry will probably provide security...and I don't think they'll be that smart."

Edith burst out laughing, causing Ginny to blush and Ron to look weirdly at her. "That's precisely the problem, Ginny. Brilliant."

"Well, if they _are_ going to do something as phenomenally stupid as sending _Dementors_ to a school full of _innocent baby kids_ , we better go in prepared." Susan muttered. "Do any of you know the Patronus Charm?"

"Read about it. Haven't attempted it yet – haven't had the opportunity." Edith answered, brow furrowed. "Can you demonstrate?"

"I can only try. I can't make a corporal one yet – the best I can do is mist, and that will only hold the Dementor in place." Susan fretted.

"How does the charm work?" Hermione asked.

"You have to focus on a happy memory and say, 'Expecto Patronum.' The brighter and happier the memory, the more powerful the charm will become." Susan explained.

"Great. Let's practice that until we get it right – before the end of the summer." Edith said decisively. Noises of agreement fluttered from everyone in the room.

 _ ****~Line Break~****_

 _ **A few days later...**_

"Expecto Patronum!"

Edith focused on her memory of getting her first Christmas presents – the day she realized she had friends; people who cared about her and would stand by her no matter what. A brilliant white light burst forward from her wand, spreading through the room. Still not corporal yet – but it was advanced magic, and she had only been working on it for a few days.

Tristan barked in approval. " _You're getting stronger every day, pup."_

"I still can't manage a corporal."

" _And yet you're advancing faster than most other children in your position. You expect too much of yourself, Edith. You're still growing."_

"Mistress? The Floo has been installed. Shall we fit it to your preferences?"

Edith smiled down at Missy, one of the three elves she had "bought" (the term is used extremely loosely – she pays all of them to their specifications, which while not much, was a step above what most wizards did) after her friends went home.

They had finally finished installing the Floo, so her core friends and followers could visit whenever they fancied. But it was also cut off from the mainlines so to speak, so the Ministry had no access to it nor did the school, which was the way Edith preferred it.

She had also drawn up her home renovations, partly to keep her mind off Sirius Black, partly to prepare it for when she headed back to school. She'd gotten the name of a private company, run by a nice guy who didn't ask too many questions.

People never asked enough important questions these days.

" _You don't seem very concerned that Black could be after you,"_ Tristan noted.

"Will being scared help?" Edith shivered a bit. "I am kind of afraid, I can't deny it. But I have to suppress it or else it's like blood in the water. It will bring sharks."

" _I cannot speak for the sharks,_ " Tristan snuffled, " _But surely you can rely on the Ministry and your teachers to protect you?_ "

Edith snorted. "Tristan, the teachers were completely useless for all the dangerous situations we encountered in the first two years. And they hired _Lockhart_. As for the Ministry, they will always be more interested in their self gain and controlling the people more than keeping them safe. Muggle or magic, that at least is consistent."

" _Surely they'll put on a pretense, and that would be worth something?_ " Tristan offered, rubbing against her leg. " _And I'll be watching over you, too_."

Edith smiled and petted him. "Thank you, Tristan."

Unbeknownst to both of them, not far from the house, a large black Grim was padding their way.

 **End Chapter**

 _ **Since Fudge said that 'the worst Black did isn't well known,' I figured even Dancia and Blaise wouldn't be able to tell Edith everything, which is why they haven't brought it up yet - they don't want to give her incomplete information. Dancia was raised by a Black, after all.**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	20. Chapter 20

**Cult Potter**

 _ **Wanda: ...I feel like I am way prouder of this chapter's title than I probably should be. A bit on the shorter side, sorry about that, but I had a bit of a struggle putting it together, which surprised me. Hopefully once the gate's open everything else will be smooth sailing.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**_

 **Chapter 19: Are You Sure You Want to Ride this Train?**

"So let me get this straight – Sirius Black broke out of Azkaban to come after _you_?" Ron asked, his voice shooting up an entire octave.

Edith nodded grimly. On her last trip to Diagon Alley to pick up the necessary books for school, she had been stopped by the Minister of Magic himself, Cornelius Fudge. He had asked her a million questions about where she'd been, saying that the community was on high alert ever since Black's escape. When Edith had responded in a calm and collected manner, he'd completely freaked out, ranting that Black was after her and she needed to stay _somewhere_ secure. So she spent that day in the Leaky Cauldron before being annoyingly escorted to the station by two aurors. At least one of them, a man named Kingsley, had been sympathetic to her annoyance at the situation.

It spoke leagues of what she'd already experienced, and how jaded she was, that Edith's first reaction to being told that Black was in fact after her, was first a lack of surprise, then annoyance, _then_ concern.

"Where was he last sighted? Did they say?" Hermione asked in concern.

"They didn't say," Edith responded with a huff. "They'll tell me my life is in danger, and then they won't tell me what they think he's going to do next. I wonder what protocol inside the Ministry is like..."

"We won't let him get close," Sally promised.

Hannah choked on her drink and stared around the room. "Are you kidding me? Black's a seasoned war criminal! We're a couple of kids! How could we possibly stop him?"

"The same way Voldemort was killed by a baby, and then by a pair of eleven year olds." Edith answered. "The element of surprise. People look at us and they see helpless kids. They look at you and don't see the duelling skills you've been leaning for nearly two years now. They don't see strategy or loyalty or group work. They just see a couple of helpless kids in way over their heads. Being overconfident is the first and worst mistake someone like Black could make."

"But we'd only have one chance," Daphne said in concern. "Once he realizes we're better than most of our classmates, he'll just step up his game."

"I didn't say we didn't have to be careful," Edith said, shaking her head. "Obviously, we do. We need to stick together and keep an eye out for suspicious behaviour. Who knows if or how well Black might be able to disguise himself."

Abruptly the train came to a screeching halt. Edith swore as the ground pitched beneath her, throwing her and Ginny out of their seats. Daphne grabbed Sally's hand to keep her friend steady.

"What the hell was that?" Sally exclaimed.

"We can't be there yet..." Ginny frowned, and her hand went straight for her wand as she walked over to the window.

"Guys!" Tracey, Susan and Blaise had come over to join them. "The train's stopped. Can you see anything-? Our windows fogged over-"

"We haven't heard anything, no. Do you think it's an inspection?"

"They already did that at the station! Why stop halfway to school only to-?"

"Quiet!" Edith yelled. Her friends hushed and looked at her in confusion. The redhead strained her ears; she swore she could hear someone crying out in the distance...someone familiar sounding...ice and frost started creeping across the window...

"That's my foot!" -Hermione.

"Sorry!" -Ron.

"Is it me, or is it getting cold all of a sudden...?" -Ginny.

That's when Edith recognized it. A faint screaming.

" _Please, not my baby – take me instead-_ "

"Wands out! Now!" She hissed, half angry, half terrified. Instantly her core followed suit, staring at the door with new fear in their eyes. That could only mean one thing...

The rotting hand slid their door open...the Dementor was tall, willowy, and reeked of death and disintegrating flesh...it swung its head slowly to examine the interior, seeking out fresh prey. What it found was ten wands pointed at it.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

It was only ten splashes of mist, with nothing corporal yet. But the barrage was still much more than the creature had expected, and it screeched in pain, fleeing down the back of the car.

The lights flickered back on as it left, and Edith collapsed back into her seat. Her heart was pounding, and judging by the pale faces of her friends, she wasn't the only one.

"They really did it, didn't they?" Hermione whispered. "There are going to be Dementors all around school this year."

"God-damn-it." Edith hissed. Her mother's screams were ringing in her ears, and no amount of shaking her head and trying to focus on other thoughts was helping at the moment. "Muggle schools flip out if you bring a toy gun to class. Wizard schools subject their students to soul sucking monstrosities and nobody bats an eye. _Fuck_!"

Ginny was shivering. Ron, being a good older brother, put an arm around her shoulder and gave her a comforting hug. Sally and Daphne were holding hands again, while Hermione was clutching one of her books for dear life. Blaise was glaring out the window, his shoulders trembling slightly. Susan had tightly wrapped her arms around herself and looking at an equally shell shocked Hannah for a little support.

Edith looked among her friends and clapped her hands together to get their attention. "Calm down, everyone – it's gone. But I think we all need to practice this spell more."

"Couldn't agree more," Hermione said through chattering teeth.

The train started moving again. The group filtered back to their respective train compartments, telling each other jokes to shake off the oppressive atmosphere that had nearly swallowed them.

Near the front of the train, new DADA instructor Professor Lupin was thoroughly taken aback to see one of the two Dementors that had attacked the train driven off by students. He was glad they had managed it, of course, but he didn't think that spell was taught so early at Hogwarts unless the curriculum had changed since he was last here...

 _ ****~At the School~****_

"Do you know who Remus Lupin is?" Edith asked Ginny curiously as the girl clapped and cheered for the new Defence professor.

"No," Ginny said, "But everyone deserves a warm welcome, right?"

Edith smiled at the younger girl. "Sometimes Ginny, you're personality makes the idea of waking up in the morning much easier. You should share your secret with me sometimes."

Ginny blushed. "It's not much of a secret. I just try to look at the world positively."

"So that's how you eventually befriended miss Ice Queen Lilith?" Edith asked teasingly, nodding towards the silver haired Slytherin, who was openly talking with Astoria.

"Yup." Ginny nodded. "I think it's better to look at people and the world as they _could_ be, rather than as they are. It helps keep the mood up."

"I'll keep that in mind." Edith said, ruffling the other girl's hair. Ginny squeaked, batting her hand away and grinning at her hero in response.

Following Lupin's introduction, Dumbledore gave an announcement that embodied everything Edith had been worried about. "Dementors are vicious creatures. I warn all of you, give them no reason to harm you."

" _That_ doesn't sound like victim blaming at all. Remember kids, if you got your soul sucked out by our dubious guardsmen, it's your fault for not being more careful." Edith muttered under her breath.

"They will be stationed at all entrances to the grounds..."

"Again. Very safe. Especially for the Quidditch Players." Ginny frowned at that; she was planning to try out for the Slytherin team, but if there were going to be Dementors near the pitch...

"Do you think we can complain to someone?"

"They're not bound to listen, unfortunately. Fudge made it clear to me that nothing's more important to the Ministry right now than recapturing Black." Edith said, biting her lip. "I think we need to find a place for our duelling practice inside the school. It's probably not that safe to go out like this – unnecessary risks..."

"Fred and George might have a few places to suggest." Ginny offered.

Edith's lips twitched. "You're probably right. Hell, they could probably sneak us into Hogsmeade."

The one problem with getting rid of the Dursleys when she had was that she had neglected to get a signature for permission to enter Hogsmeade, the nearby village of treats and wonder. While Edith doubted she'd suffer _too_ much, the place sounded like fun, she wasn't made of stone, and most of her friends were probably going to make regular expeditions out there.

BUT, Fred and George knew every way out of the school that their grumpy caretaker did, and more. She could probably ask them if she got too broken up about it at any point.

Ginny nodded. "I'm pretty sure they've been sneaking out there ever since their first year," She confided, since she had 'mysteriously' received Zonko gifts from them ever since after the Winter break at that time. Molly had disapproved, obviously, but Ginny had been pretty happy about it.

 _ ****~A few days later – first DADA class of the year~****_

"Good morning, Professor."

"Good morning, class. Please put away your books; today's lesson will be of the practical nature." Professor Lupin looked tired but friendly, with premature age lines on his face, a warm smile and a twinkle in his eyes.

The Gryffindor-Slytherin class exchanged an excited look and put their books away. After getting a taste of Narcissa Black's 'practical lessons', they were looking forward to spending an entire year under that kind of tutelage.

Professor Lupin lead them to an empty classroom where a chained wardrobe was shaking and shuddering. Turning to face his class, he asked, "Now, who here can tell me what a Boggart is? Miss Potter."

His voice strained a bit, like it was difficult for him to refer to her formally. Edith blinked and filed that reaction away for later questioning. "A Boggart is a monster that preys on fear. They always take the shape of whatever the person facing them fears the most."

"Correct." Professor Lupin said with a smile. "Now the Boggart in this wardrobe has not yet taken a shape, but once I let it out it will challenge whoever is closest to it. Now the charm to deal with them is simple, though the mental strength behind it less so. Say it with me – _Ridikkulus!_ "

" _Ridikkulus!_ " The class chanted.

"Good." Lupin clapped his hands together. "Who wants to go first?"

 **End Chapter**

 _ **Place your bets, people - what do you think Edith's worst fear is? It isn't Voldemort, and since she hasn't passed out in this story, it isn't Dementors. What does that leave? Anyone who can guess it gets virtual cookies!**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	21. Chapter 21

**Cult Potter**

 _ **Wanda: To everyone who guessed - you guys are great! (throws virtual cookies everywhere) So here's the next chapter, and I'm glad it's longer than the last one because I don't want to get lazy on the lengths.**_

 _ **Tyene: I don't think that there's much you can do about that.**_

 _ **Wanda: Hush. since when are my constructs so sarcastic?**_

 _ **Tyene: Because I'm the manifestation of the voice at the back of your head?**_

 _ **Wanda: (grumbles) I do not own Harry Potter.**_

 **Chapter 20: What Do You Fear?**

Tracey stepped up first, wand at the ready, with only the slight twitch of her fingers betraying her nervousness as she faced the boggart's wardrobe. Professor Lupin nodded, having promised to step in if the boggart's transformation was too much to handle. Then he opened the door.

The boggart erupted into the room, and transformed in a whirl of black smoke. It shapeshifted into a snarling dragon; its wings touching the ceiling, gaping maw full of jagged teeth ready to swallow the young girl whole.

Tracey froze up for a second, but then she schooled her face and shouted, "Ridikkulus!" The dragon yelped as it was transformed into a helpless baby kitten with wings. Everyone in the classroom giggled as the dragon/cat attempted to fly and reared up to appear more intimidating.

"Good! Good work, miss Davis – next!"

Ron was shoved forward by his classmates Dean and Seamus. He barely had time to shoot them a betrayed look before he looked forward and screamed. Quite a few girls joined in; it was a spider the size of a school trunk, menacingly clicking its mandibles as it walked towards Ron.

Edtih smiled a bit when Ron, white faced, managed to scream "Riddikulus!" The spider's feet were suddenly encased in roller skates, leaving it sprawling on the floor. Ron looked surprised with himself, then grinned as laughter sprouted around him. _Great progress, Ron._ Edith thought as Neville gave him a high five at the end of the line.

Daphne surged forward next. The boggart whirled and shapeshifted into an explosion of flame. Several students cried out and stumbled backwards. Daphne's shoulders tensed and she called out the spell name as well. The Fire solidified into a person with cartoonish arms and legs, along with a cane, and began to dance.

Neville went next. With a _crack_ , the boggart transformed into an...old man? The man cackled and said, 'come, Neville! Let's get some magic out of you!'

Neville went white at the face, looking back towards his friends for help. "It won't hurt!" The man insisted. Neville met Edith's eyes for a split second before turning around and yelling "Ridikkulus!" The man suddenly found himself dressed in an old lady's clothes.

The classroom rioted with laughter. The boggart stumbled backwards, having lost strength.

Flora confidently stepped forward next. This time, the image the creature took up was Amycus Carrow – Edith recognized him from the newspaper. He hardly had time to open his mouth before Flora hit him in the stomach with the charm, which turned him into a Jack-in-the-box with an incredibly whiny voice.

Hestia, emboldened by her sister's success, stepped forward next. Her boggart was a massive python. _Ridikkulus_ turned it into a slinky.

Hermione went after Hestia. Her boggart was amusing even before she used the spell, albeit not to the girl herself – Professor McGonagall stepped forward and informed her that she had failed all her courses. Hermione spelled her to speak only in sonnets.

The bookworm shot Edith a dirty look as she went to the back of the line. "Don't _laugh,_ " She hissed.

"I would never," Edith assured her, suppressing her smile.

Finally it was Edith's turn. She stepped forward slowly, wand out, hoping that her disposition didn't betray her uncertainty. What would she see? What did she fear the most? As much as she tried to keep a realistic assessment of her weaknesses, the thought of fear hadn't entered her mind in a while. There was Voldemort...but even before she thought of him, another, darker memory began to surface before her eyes...a small, black enclosure; sticky warmth on her fingers and face...

And when she thought of that, she knew. She knew right before the boggart's image took hold.

The boggart transformed into something old, but familiar. It was a little girl with red hair, wearing torn and ripped clothes passed down from her aunt. She was trapped in a small, dark enclosure. She was curled up in a ball, crying...and there was blood all over her, dripping down her face and arms. This was after one of her uncle's worst beatings...when he would leave her in the cupboard...

She was so weak...so fragile. Helpless against the hatred that kept her in prison there. Doomed to be a victim, with no one who cared to look for her. Another victim of the cold, hard world.

Edith hadn't been prepared. She completely froze when she saw her younger self. Alarmed whispers were starting to pass through the classroom. She could feel Dancia and Hermione's eyes boring into the back of her head.

Luckily for her, Professor Lupin wasn't held by shock for long. He quickly stepped in between Edith and the boggart, which transformed from the six year old girl into a full moon, hovering in the sky. Professor Lupin called "Ridikkulus!" and the moon turned into an untied balloon, which flew all over the room before hurtling back into the cupboard. Several students burst out into uncertain laughter, causing their neighbours to jump in surprise.

"That's the end of the lesson for today, if you'd all like to collect your bags I'll send you down for lunch..."

Edith stood frozen in place; Hestia had attempted to tug her along when Lupin said, "Miss Potter. May I have a moment?"

Edith nodded slightly, gesturing for her friends to go ahead without her. Hestia gave her a look of affectionate concern before heading out the door.

Professor Lupin eyed Edith for a moment; the girl's shoulders were starting to shiver. He summoned some teacups from his office and poured some warm Earl Grey. "Here; drink up."

"Thank you sir," Edith managed at last. She slowly sat in a nearby chair and took the cup in her hands. Her fingers rejoiced in the warmth. The professor watched her drink in silence for a few moments, his expression pained.

"Edith. Are you comfortable telling me a bit about your boggart?"

Edith swallowed hard, the tea burning through the lump in her throat. "I..." She clenched her hands once, twice, and sighed shakily. "It's...I was a little girl..."

"So I could see..." Lupin sounded like he was having trouble keeping his own voice steady. _What was up with that?_ "What happened to you?"

Edith stared at her Earl Grey for another long moment. She didn't want to talk about it, even if Professor Lupin seemed friendly and compassionate. Digging up that memories had undermined her confidence. In her fear and panic, she might say something incriminating. "It...It was my uncle... ...a long time ago..."

"Your _uncle_?" Lupin said sharply, suddenly animated again. Edith flinched back in her seat out of habit. Lupin saw this, and his face twisted with rage for a second before he forced himself to calm down for her sake.

"H-He was d-drunk...I d-don't think ...it w-was a long time ago." Edith repeated senselessly, before taking another drink of her tea. "He's gone now, anyway...locked away in jail."

"What for?"

"Tax evasion." Edith responded, finally raising her eyes to meet the teacher. "Why do you ask, Professor?"

Lupin let out his breath and back-peddled a bit. "I'm concerned for your well being, Edith...you are one of my students."

"...You're calling me Edith." The redhead pointed out, blinking at him. "That's a bit familiar..."

"Oh. I'm sorry-"

"Professor, should I know you?" Edith broke in, now eyeing the older man curiously. That was the only way his body language made any sense to her.

Lupin stared at her for a second, surprise written plainly across his face. After several moments of silence, his shoulders slackened. "I...you would have been too young to remember...I was a friend of your father's from school. We were...quite close."

Edith's brow furrowed. "Why have I never met you before?"

Lupin shook his head. "I wasn't allowed to know where you lived...the Ministry thought if I did, I would have taken you to live with me."

Edith snorted slightly, shaking her head. "That would have been an upgrade. Then again, a den of angry wolves would have been an upgrade..."

Professor Lupin started, and then gave her a funny look. He shook his head slightly and said, "Are you feeling better? Perhaps you should get some lunch." When Edith frowned, he offered, "If you would like, I could tell you more about your parents after dinner. The lunch break is a short one."

Edith managed a small smile. "Thank you, sir."

 _ ****~Later~****_

Edith went down to the Slytherin table and was quickly surrounded by her friends. "What was that thing – that the boggart showed?" Ginny asked anxiously. "Were you hurt?"

"What happened?" Tracey asked, looking worried as she examined Edith as though searching for hidden injuries.

"Not here," Edith muttered, gesturing around the table. Both Parkinson and Nott were both sitting not too far away, and she would rather die (or kill them) before they heard anything about this. "Too many people. Maybe later."

She didn't say aloud how their concern warmed her, and helped settle the anxiety that had risen so violently and abruptly in her. That was what allowed her to come to this decision, to describe her past to them.

Edith and her friends/core group had discovered a room on the fifth floor – well, more accurately, Fred and George had discovered it while hiding from Filch after another one of their pranks set the old man off. It was called the Room of Requirement; a special chamber deep in the school that not even the teachers seemed to know about. The room's concept was to change into whatever the person seeking it needed at the time, like, say, a large padded duelling stage where the students could hone their craft with lowered risk of harm or of being discovered.

The Headmaster would have disapproved of many of the spells and tactics they were learning there, after all.

Edith's belief – one heavily influenced by her experiences from the streets – was that an honourable fighter was one more likely to die with a knife in their back. Especially if your opponent was without honour, or desperate.

So she instructed her fellow warriors to be pragmatic, vicious and, dare I say, _muggle_ in their pitched duels, to take every opportunity for low blows and false surrenders.

For instance, Sally physically bowled over Ron after loosing her wand, bringing the match from a loss to a tie when his weapon scattered away and he was unable to recover it. Meanwhile, Ginny broke the stalemate in her match with Dancia by giving the Malfoy heiress a surprise kick to the leg during their close quarters spellcasting, throwing her off balance and making her easy to overwhelm.

Edith wanted to make the jump to learning wandless magic after seeing many duels end this way. Many wizards, even the so called elite were all but completely helpless with their wands. Even an unarmed mundane would be a better partner in a battle, for many of them knew how to fight with their hands and feet which those old fools thought was beneath them.

Unsurprisingly, Hermione was on board with the idea of more advanced learning, and Flora offered to help link them up with stores that sold the advanced training books. Dancia liked the thought as well, she had given it a few attempts under her mother's watchful eye. However, she did take a moment to warn everyone that wandless magic was significantly more difficult to master, and that they would have to be patient and determined in order to master it.

However, the room wasn't a dueller's ground yet, since Edith wanted to talk to those who had seen her lowest moment reflected in the Boggart. Only then would they understand fully, she thought.

"I know you must be sick of us asking this Edith, but are you alright? You've been distant ever since Defence class," Sally noted to her first real friend.

"I'm sorry I keep worrying you all." Edith said, waving a hand. The Room of Requirement conjoured more Earl Grey tea – enough for the ten or so students who were here early. Edith took the cup, drank a little and sighed.

"It's...difficult to talk about. I don't like acknowledging the place I was in back then...but I've come to trust all of you, and I don't think it would be right to continue withholding."

"Flora, Hestia, you already know a bit about this..." Hermione and Sally cast the Slytherin twins surprised looks. Flora looked grim while Hestia nodded with an encouraging smile. "As you know, I was raised by my mother's sister and her husband, Vernon and Petunia Dursley. They had a son named Dudley." A few scattered nods. Edith's expression hardened. "Well, they didn't take me in as a hero, or even as their niece. They were forced to take me by Dumbledore...and they _hated_ me."

Edith took another sip of tea, not meeting the wide eyed stares of Ron, Ginny, Hermione and Daphne, who had close loving families, who couldn't comprehend being hated by or hating someone so precious to you.

"But you're family!" Ron protested. "I mean, even my Auntie Muriel, bad as she is, she's family. I don't think she _hates_ any of us..."

Edith's lip twitched slightly. "That's your family Ron. You know, despite your financial troubles, I've always been jealous of you, Ginny, Fred and George." Ron looked almost as stunned at this revelation as the first one. "You all love and cherish each other so much. Feel blessed when you're all together; because you really are."

Ron looked down, abashed, thinking of the various times he'd found his mother's antics embarrassing, or resenting the homemade sweaters she's made for him, or feeling like he was stuck in his brother's shadows. He'd resented that, but had that made him forget how lucky he was to have them to begin with?

Shaking his head slightly, Ron decided to write a letter to his parents that evening thanking them for all the care and affection they gave him.

"My aunt, when my mother developed magic, she didn't." Edith went on. She had found that much about her aunt in the months before she'd gone to school for her first year. "And she resented that, hated it with all her might. When she married Vernon, she turned to a like minded, aggressively intolerant prick who hated anything he considered abnormal. If Dumbledore hadn't insisted on it, I doubt they would have taken me in at all – passing me off to an orphanage."

Edith sighed. "Petunia hated me for being a reminder of my mother. Vernon hated me because he saw me as an unnatural freak. And Dudley hated me because he was a spoiled little shit who hated sharing anything, even his table scraps."

"Vernon was an angry drunk. Whenever he got wasted, Petunia would leave and Dudley would go with her. But I was left behind. Sometimes, I would get lucky, and he would pass me by...other times..." Edith shook her head, swallowing over the lump in her throat. "Well, he turned on me. There was nothing I could do to stop him. He would hurt me, and I'd wake up in the cupboard where I slept covered in blood."

Ginny shot to her feet. "I'm going to _kill_ him!" She shrieked. "I'm going to rip out his heart and _force feed_ it to him! I'm going to jinx him until there's nothing left of him but a half baked _pig_!"

Her rage opened up the flood gates. Blaise started cussing in Italian; Hermione, Astoria and Tracey were all in tears, and Sally promised both heaven and hell that she would castrate the man with a butter knife. Ron and Dancia's expressions became very ugly, and Daphne was seething quietly, just barely maintaining her ladylike mask in the face of this. Hestia and Flora looked equally furious, though no less surprised given what they'd already been told.

Edith remained silent for a moment, overwhelmed by this response of indignation on her behalf. Taking a second to collect herself, not wanting to break down, she waved a hand and said, "Everyone, it's okay. They've been packed off to jail."

"That's too good for them!" Ginny exclaimed. "There isn't justice here until I've turned them into the pigs they are and slowly fed them to some of Hagrid's pets!"

"Ginny, I truly appreciate that, but it's okay. Now, Vernon has to live the life he hated and feared the most – a life of poverty, prison, and social contempt." Edith interrupted, even while she looked at the red haired girl with new and affectionate eyes.

"Anyway, that's why the boggart showed me that...I was so weak while I was in that house. I couldn't protect myself...Dudley assaulted me too, with his friends, and Petunia forced me to do all the chores. Weeding, gardening, cleaning the house, making all the meals, et cetera. I hated living, I felt like I had no reason to exist. I was worthless, unwanted..."

Edith trailed off before shaking her head. "It only changed when I had my first burst of accidental magic...I threw Dudley into a wall in front of his gang...I got them to fear me...after that, I befriended them, and they started protecting me. Then I discovered the truth about my mother, and my magic came out more."

"But I'll never forget that fear...that pain...more than anything, I'm afraid that something will turn me back into that girl. A helpless victim, a martyr, a sacrifice, for a world that will go on turning without much pause."

That was a bit too much for both Ginny and Sally. The two girls dropped their teacups, bolted forward and hugged Edith as tightly as they could.

"This needs more people! Now!" Ginny said, her voice muffled by Edith's shoulder.

Hermione jumped up, then Dancia, and soon Edith was surrounded by a warm collaboration of limbs and affection. Edith smiled, once again feelings tears at the edges of her eyes at this final rebuke to the Dursleys. She was loved, she was wanted.

"You guys are wonderful...I don't know what I did to deserve this..."

"Deserving has nothing to do with it...you should have been given love openly from the start." Hermione said with determined anger.

The group hug went on for a few minutes before everyone detangled to continue hearing Edith's story. "People say fear cripples you...but I think fear gave me some much needed perspective..." Edith said.

"How?" Dancia asked curiously.

"Well, back then, whenever I wanted to avoid Vernon or Dudley, I would go out into the city and wander the streets...when you're out there, you see a lot of things they don't put on the brochers to welcome new people..."

"I saw people left out on the streets, holding out cups in hopes that someone will give enough quarters for them to get a meal to get through the day... I saw people getting robbed in stores and at the corner, and when others saw it, they wouldn't help. They just walked on by. Even when someone got hurt, like with a knife..."

Edith's eyes grew sharp and cool with a strength Sally associated with when she confronted Nott back in first year, and when she decided to confront Voldemort.

"I realized that so many people who control the world are cowards...the spy agencies talking about crossing lines being 'necessary' to maintain their precious balance, but they can't cross those same lines to lift their own people out of suffering, or prevent them from suffering further. The governments talk about how they care about _everyone_ , yet so many people are left to suffer or discriminate against them just because they're different. I looked at those streets and I saw gutters full of blood and suffering...and I couldn't help any of those people, not much. There wasn't much I could do."

"Did you know I went to St Mugos once?" Everyone except Hermione shook their heads.

"We went together," The brunette reminisced. "I fell on the pavement and cut my lip open. My mom, Edith and I went in there expecting to wait hours for surgery, only for one lady to walk over, wave her wand and stitch the skin back together with no pain, in only a few minutes."

"They heal and reset broken bones in a single day, they blast away diseases like cancer like they're nothing more than common colds, and the only patients they can't regularly cure with one fell swoop are the mental patients. And that's only because the mind is more complicated than the body."

Edith shook her head. "Do you know how many muggles die of cancer every year? Literally thousands, more than that! How many philosophers, engineers, politicians die every year when an instant cure is sitting in a world too secure in its superiority to share it? How many homeless people would sleep easily if they had a tent that's essentially the same as a hotel room? How many resources that we harm the earth to gain can be gotten just as easily with a simple, fifth year replication spell?"

"The Statue of Secrecy is there to protect muggles," Hermione said weakly.

"Well, if they're _dying_ , that's not much protection is it?" Edith retorted. "And where was this protection when Voldemort was murdering them in droves during the first war? Police and military were ripping their hair out because they couldn't figure out who was behind these random 'acts of god' that were causing so much death. They were helpless to protect people who needed their aide, all because the Wizard World didn't want to share any of its secrets."

Edith stood up at this point, and began to pace. "All I ever remember wanting was one thing; that other people didn't have to suffer the way I had. There are so many ways people can change the world, but they refuse to, because they don't want to _aspire_ to anything. They don't want to strain their necks. The wizard world is no different. My parents fought and bled and died in a war against blood prejudice, and yet when the war was over, what had changed?"

Silence met this question, for even Dancia and Tracey, who's parents were very secure in this world, could think of anything. "Almost nothing." Edith sighed. "Once again, the evil walk free because they're 'too useful', or have enough money and influence that it doesn't matter how much evidence points to their guilt. This world is steeped in racism, a faulty government that most third world muggle countries would laugh at, and no one's willing to change it."

"Our government isn't-" Dancia started.

"What kind of government sends those disgusting, soul sucking monsters to _protect_ their children?" Hermione asked Dancia, who faltered and shook her head.

"Those 'soul sucking monsters' would be classified as a crime against humanity in the muggle world," Edith noted. "Never mind lack of a trial, that's institutionalized torture and summery execution, except instead of loosing your head you loose your soul."

"You're all my friends, and I want to protect you. That's what I've been doing all year since the start, it's what I've always tried to do."

"I remember," Sally said softly. Ginny nodded in agreement; Edith had always come to her defence when other Slytherins looked down their noses at her for being a 'blood traitor'.

"I want to protect _everyone_." Edith came to a pause in her pacing, clenching her fists. "I want to erase all great suffering from living memory. That's my goal. My future. B-But I know I can't do it alone."

She looked among her friends. "Would you help me reach that goal? A better future, for mundanes, muggle borns, half bloods and pure bloods alike? For everyone?"

There was a pause, before Sally spoke up. "All those things you're saying make sense, Edith. I agree that things should change. You should know I'll help you with anything..."

"Me too." Ginny said.

"We've stuck with you so far," Blaise said with a friendly smile. "I've always figured you had big ambitions, and that's why you went into Slytherin instead of Gryffindor of Hufflepuff. So you can count me in."

"I'm tired of being called mudblood." Hermione muttered. "I can't deny that."

"We can make the world better..." Daphne mused. "To make things better... I like the sound of that."

"I want to make the world better, too." Astoria said, her hands going to the ruby earing she never let out of her sight. It was her keepsake from her beloved late mother, who had wished for similar things.

Edith smiled. "You guys...you're my friends. My core. My justice."

 **End Chapter**

 _ **I hope Edith's rant didn't come across as too soap-boxy, but she wanted to get all her thoughts across to her friends. And before anyone accuses me, I wasn't using her as a mouthpiece...I do have feelings about some of those things (like the miracle medicine), not all of them. I can see how the Statue of Secrecy is important in some ways on both sides.**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	22. Chapter 22

**Cult Potter**

 _ **Wanda: And here we are, at the revelation. This was a really great moment in Prisoner of Azkaban - the revelation of both Sirius's connection to James and Pettigrew's betrayal really threw me for a loop the first time I read it. It still gives me chills when I read it.**_

 _ **I liked writing the conversations between Edith and Remus. She's never really had an affectionate, parental influence in her life, and just the fact that he's there for her is nice. Of course, the bombshell about Sirius is going to make things even more interesting...**_

 _ **Disclaimer: The usual, I do not own, now enjoy!**_

 **Chapter 21: Black Secret**

"So it's a map?" Edith asked curiously, regarding the piece of seemingly blank paper Remus Lupin was holding as they walked along the bridge over the Hogwarts grounds. The student and teacher had started meeting regularly in the evenings to chat about both Lily and James Potter, and the various hijinks they had gotten into as students there. Often along for the ride was Remus himself; in spite of their teacher's seemingly calm and rule abiding nature, had assisted James with their pranks.

"At it's core? Yes. But, it's a lot more complicated than that." Remus said with a wink. Pointing his wand at the page, he announced, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

Before Edith's impressed eyes, lines of ink sprawled out onto the page. After a second, it became clear that it was a multi-layered map of Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, with little footprints representing every person inside its walls. "That's us! There's Ginny, and Sally, and...it picks up everyone who's inside the building?"

"Anyone." Remus agreed.

"And you _made_ it? Before your seventh year?"

"It was in our fifth year, that the project was finally finished." Remus reminisced, flipping one of the pages over. "It was no small feat, I assure you – so many days spent in detention, sleepless nights investigating every nook and cranny of the school we called home, and magical experimentation went into the invention of the Maurader's Map."

As he spoke, letters formed on the page. Edith blinked. "Prongs, Moony, Padfoot and Wormtail are proud to present The Maurader's Map?" She read aloud, giving him a curious look.

"Those were our code names." Remus explained. "I'm Moody. Prongs was your father. Now... _I am a friend_."

The page shivered at those words, and a fifth name appeared. _Cattail bids you welcome, friend, and reminds you to keep the dungbombs out of the library._

"Cattail?" Edith asked, her voice trailing off.

"Yes. Cattail was your mother. After she and James realized their relationship was serious, he added her to the map, though secretly, just in case it was cracked or stolen. He never could stand to get her in trouble." Remus smiled softly at the memory.

"Who are Padfoot and Wormtail?" Edith asked.

Remus's eyes clouded over. "They were...old friends. They're both lost now." _I lost one to a maniac, and the other is rotting away in jail,_ he added silently. But, even as he thought about it, he couldn't bring himself to tell Edith that, to spoil this joyous discovery for her.

Hoping to distract her, he said, "You know, your father and mother wanted to pass this down to you, when Lily was certain you were old enough to handle it. So I thought I would gift it too you."

"Really?!" Edith's eyes lit up. She would have something that belonged to her parents! Not just photographs of them, but something they touched, they used, something they _wanted_ her to have and enjoy. And something insanely useful, too!

"Of course," Remus chuckled. "I can teach it to respond to you and you can create your own name. Do you have anything in mind?"

"Uuuhh...what did mom and dad base theirs on?" Edith asked, jumping slightly on the spot. It was childish, but she couldn't help herself. She had never been so excited.

"Their animagus forms." Remus said, before wincing slightly. Part of him wondered if he should be telling Lily's impressionable daughter all of these things, but he had a sneaking suspicion she would find out on her own no matter what he did.

"They were animagi?!" Edith gasped. "But their names aren't on the Register! Hermione did her homework on it, so of course I know, but that's amazing!"

Remus chuckled nervously. "Yes, well, there's a somewhat complicated story behind that, but yes. Lily didn't want her name on a list that could get leaked, and James was all about doing things right under people's noses without them realizing it. Your father could transform into a stag. Your mother, on the other hand...oh, she was something special. She was a cougar."

Edith grinned. "That's amazing! Can I become an animagus?!"

"Hahaha...! Perhaps some time in the future; I'd hate to do something illegal here while in a teacher's confidence." Remus said with a smile. "But sure, if you would really like that..."

"I would!" _It would be interesting, depending on what I turn into...and it would bring me closer to my parents,_ Edith thought, clasping her hands together.

They walked in silence for a moment. "So how did you make this?" Edith asked, waving her hand at the map. "I mean, what were the mechanics?"

Remus didn't bother to hide his smile. Lily would have been thrilled to discover Edith shared her enthusiasm for spellwork and creation. "Both James and Lily wrote books of notes about it. I imagine they're in one of the chests in the vault they left you – have you gone through all of that yet?"

"No. I mean, I saw those chests, but I didn't want to bring precious artifacts home where the Dursleys might damage them." Edith said. That, and she had been refilling some of her spent money thanks to the Sorcerer's Stone. "Now I really want to!"

"You'll have time. Be patient."

Edith sulked a bit. Remus chuckled, though it was a sad smile he wore. All these years, he could have been 'Uncle Remus', someone who protected Edith, made her smile, but instead he'd been kept away by bureaucracy, being told he was 'too dangerous' to raise a child, and Dumbledore never did tell him where the Dursleys lived.

"Remus?" The girl in question was giving him a curious look. "You seem far away."

"Ah, just lost in thought. Don't mind me." Edith didn't believe that, but she let the subject drop.

"Tell me more about mum. We've got more time, right?"

"Well, the sun's getting low..." Remus noted, but Edith gave him a pleading look that proved impossible to resist. "Your mom was a talented charms master, and a duellist. One day, she was working with a few other muggleborns in the library when Rabastian Lestrange came in. He was a Death Eater later in life, if you were wondering about his personality." Edith made a face. "Anyway, he insulted Lily and called her a mudblood. Now, your mother wasn't someone who took that lying down. She stood up and challenged him to a duel 'in defence of her own honour.'"

Edith looked questioningly at him. Remus smiled wanely and explained, "Usually, only males duelled in those circumstances, since 'protecting a girl's honuor' was widely considered to be her husband/fiance's duty. Lily standing in defence of herself was considered unorthodox."

"Hah," Edith said scornfully. "I bet she kicked his ass."

"That she did." Remus grinned at the memory. "He didn't land a single hit on her, and she humiliated him in front of the entire Great Hall. Even Bellatrix Black, who was betrothed to Rabastian's brother, looked impressed by her skill."

"She was betrothed? While still in school?" Edith asked, wrinkling her nose.

Remus sighed and explained, "Well, they don't do that as often anymore, but the Blacks and the Lestrange families are extremely... _traditional_ families. Bellatrix hated it, but that was more because she thought Rodolfus was an idiot and at best an average wizard, while she was...much more powerful." _As many learned to their horror when the war started,_ he added silently.

Edith snorted. "I'm almost feeling sympathetic to her, hearing that crap." Of course, she'd also heard Neville's story, but Remus already knew about Alice and Frank.

"Well, we'd best be heading back, or we'll both be caught out after curfew." Remus noted. He lead Edith back to the castle, closed the Maurader's Map and handed it to her. "This is yours now, as I'm sure the Weasley Twins will love to hear."

The twins had been in possession of the map since stealing it from Filch in their second year. However, when they heard Edith mention the Mauraders in reference to one of Remus's stories, they returned the map (all while bowing before the flustered professor, proclaiming that 'they were not worthy') while expressing hope they could 'borrow' it again at some point.

"If you've thought of a name by tomorrow, I'll help you imprint it."

"Thank you, Remus." Edith said. She turned to head down the stairs to the Slytherin common room, when she abruptly paused, turned around and gave the started werewolf a hug. "Thank you for telling me these stories. It almost feels like I have a family."

She then released him and ran down the stairs to show her prize to her friends.

Remus stood rooted to that spot, feeling both happy and empty. Edith put so much trust in him, yet he hadn't told her his most important secret...and he hadn't been completely honest with her about Padfoot. He resolved to himself that he would find some way to tell her soon, no matter what Dumbledore thought.

She was going to find out eventually.

 _ ****~The Next Evening~****_

Edith caressed the new name on the map.

 _Regina._ Latin for Queen. It was her name – her code name on her parents work. It was perfect.

Lightly she traced _Prongs_ and _Cattail_ as they melted away and the map of Hogwarts came into view.

"This is so exciting." Ginny Weasley whispered.

Both girls were the only ones in the common room, kept awake by their mutual excitement over the map and the possibilities it offered. The others were impressed, sure, but they hadn't quite grasped the freedom it offered either. "We could sneak down to Honeydukes no problem! We don't even need a permission form!" The younger redhead said eagerly.

"And we know where the teachers are at all times. Filch too, that's always useful." Edith remarked, pointing at the furiously pacing footprints in the Great Hall.

"Definitely." Ginny wrinkled her nose at the mention of the man. Filch was unpopular among students to say the least, but Ginny had a particular dislike for him since he had called Luna 'deaf' when she upset him once.

"You want to go out and take a walk around?" Edith offered. Ginny's eyes lit up.

The two girls left the common room together under Edith's cloak, map in hand. They easily passed by Filch, who fumed impotently and both hit by a couple hexes – nothing serious, but enough to cause serious discomfort. The girls walked past him and moved onward, past the kitchen, stealing a few extra treats and snickering along the way.

Edith leaned against the wall and looked down at the map...and choked.

"What is it?" Ginny asked, before her eyes fell to the map and she saw what her friend saw. A new name on the map that most empathetically shouldn't be there.

Sirius Black.

He was heading towards...the Gryffindor Tower?

The two girls exchanged a look, and silently agreed to go forward. They had the advantage of invisibility and the courage that only children shared.

Edith and Ginny skidded to a halt at the staircase and cautiously made their way up until they saw him. Sirius Black was a mess; his hair was matted and uncared for, he was still in the Azkaban robes which were filthy and full of holes. He had his back to them, examining the empty portrait of the Fat Lady that guarded the Gryffindor common room.

"He's in there, damn-it, he's in there and I have to get in..." Black muttered fervently, hitting his hands against the plaster frame. "I have to prove it...or he'll run back to his master..."

Ginny glanced uncertainly at Edith, who grimaced. Who was _he_? Maybe it was a fabrication of Black's mind – Azkaban tended to do that to its prisoners.

Cautiously Edith pulled her wand out, her hands shaking just slightly as she tried to figure out what to do next. She could stun him – she had a perfect position. But what was this strange doubt she was feeling?

"Come on, damn-it. You killed James, you killed Lily, come out and _face that you bastard!"_ Sirius's voice climbed to a scream as he kicked at the wall, knuckles whitening as he scraped holes into the Fat Lady's frame. " _You killed them! YOU KILLED THEM!"_

Edith froze at her parents name. Ginny hissed in surprise, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder in alarm and concern.

" _YOU SOLD OUT JAMES AND LILY TO VOLDEMORT!_ " Black screamed, pounding against the wall again, his hands beginning to tremble. "...I killed them... _I told them to trust you..._ " He slid down against the wall, now weeping. " _I told them...my fault..._ "

He wept, unknowing of his audience. Edith and Ginny stood mesmerized by this performance, wondering if Black was deranged...or if there was meaning in those scattered words.

Fortunately – or unfortunately, considering the circumstances – his shouting had woken some of the paintings, who in turn had woken the staff. The two girls jumped backwards when Black scrambled to his feet, and before their stunned eyes, transformed into a massive black hound before bolting down the stairs, just barely grazing the invisibility cloak.

"Edith." Ginny whispered.

"...I'm going to the staff room." Edith said after a moment. "The teachers will tell us more." Her eyes were dark.

Ginny nodded in agreement and squeezed the other girl's hand in an offer for support. Edith smiled for a second before they headed down the stairs, making themselves scarce before Dumbledore and the other head Professors made it to the scene.

 _ ****~Later~****_

The teachers didn't wake the students since Black was gone and all the common rooms were closed. Edith and Ginny were sitting against the wall as Snape, McGonagall, Flitwick, Pomona and Dumbledore walked into the staff room and sat down.

Snape was pissed. "He was _there_ , and he got away from right under our noses!" He snarled. "Damn you, Black! Damn you to hell!"

"But why go to the Gryffindor tower?" McGonagall asked quietly. "Edith is a Slytherin. If he was searching for her, why would he...?"

Edith's eyes narrowed.

"His brain was clearly melted by Azkaban." Snape said coldly. "He probably _thought_ he was at the Slytherin common room. He never had much intelligence to begin with..."

"I doubt that, Severus...he was wise enough to escape from Azkaban." Dumbledore noted wearily. "I had hoped, however, that his imprisonment would have weakened him, causing him to slip up. Unfortunately, he's retained more wisdom then you know."

"But how?" Pomona asked, shaking her head. "We all know what Azkaban is like, with those...foul creatures at our doorstep. Most prisoners go mad within weeks, and Black's been there ever since You Know Who's downfall..."

"I''m afraid there's more to that then you know." Dumbledore said. "Fudge told me he visited Black while in prison, and he was shocked by how _normal_ the man was. He spoke quite rationally, apparently, said he missed the newspaper crossword. He escaped the next day."

"How much does Edith know?" McGonagall asked quietly.

"We have been wise enough to keep it from her, from what I have ruled." Dumbledore declared, sounding rather pleased with himself about this. "She doesn't know what Black was truly put away for."

"What?" Ginny hissed, indigent.

"How long can we keep it from her?" Pomona asked, concerned. "I have no desire to hurt the poor dear, but would you rather she find out from someone like Parkinson or Nott? This secret will not last forever, they never do."

"I wish he had stayed around." McGonagall said tightly. "I've been keeping my hatred at bay for thirteen years, for that bastard betraying James and Lily to Voldemort."

Edith sucked in a sharp breath, her entire body going rigid like stone. Ginny's eyes widened.

"I still don't understand why he did it." Flitwick said quietly. "Back in their school days, you never saw James without Sirius. They were practically brothers. They made him Edith's godfather for goodness sakes. Why did he turn on them?"

"I don't know." Dumbledore said with a sigh. "I suspected that one of James and Lily's friends had become a spy for Voldemort nearing the end of the war. When I cast the Fieldus Charm over their house, I offered to be the secret keeper. But James was set in his faith in Sirius, and I could not convince him."

Edith slowly stood up, her hands cold. Ginny got up with her and carefully helped her out of the room, her friend having gone into a slight trance. Once they were out of earshot and sight, Ginny gently pulled the cloak off and looked at Edith in concern.

"Edith?"

"..."

Ginny understood that look in her eyes. She spent so much time watching Edith, trying to understand her emotions, her thought processes, to be the best friend and companion possible. They had grown close because of this. Now she looked into those emerald green eyes, and she saw confusion, sorrow, and above all a seething rage.

"Do you think he's gotten very far?" Edith asked remotely. The quiet tone reinforced of her current emotional state. Edith almost always got quiet when she got furious.

"As a dog? I think so." Ginny said. "It'll probably be a while before he attempts it again."

"...He's not going to leave." Edith said. "He'll keep coming back."

"What do you think he was ranting about? At the Gryffindor room?" Ginny pressed gently.

"...I'm not sure." Edith muttered. "He could just be mad...but like Dumbledore said, it would be difficult to break out of Azkaban while insane."

She began to pace. "I want to see it for myself. I want to look into his eyes and ask him why he betrayed my mother and my father."

"...We could lay a trap." Ginny suggested. "Lure him into the Room of Requirement, maybe. Or our by Hagrid's hut. He might be able to face one or two of us, but if all the Slytherins are there, at least, then we can catch him. I'm sure of it."

"..." Edith halted her pacing and turned to look at Ginny. "Thanks Ginny."

"I'd do anything to help you." Ginny said, soft and sincerely.

Edith smiled in return. "Security is going to be tighter around the school, so I think we can set the trap in Hogsmeade. The Shrieking Shack. There's less of a chance for... _interference_...there."

 **End Chapter**

 _ **So yeah! Next time, Edith and co attempt to set a trap for Sirius during the next Hogsmeade weekend. Will she learn the truth there? Will the dog be trapped, or the rat?**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	23. Chapter 23

**Cult Potter**

 _ **Wanda: Whew! That was harder to write than I was expecting. I think it's because I couldn't find an obvious reason to bring Remus into the Shack since Edith's running this plan under everyone's nose. Remus was integral to giving the exposition in the original story, so giving all the important information isn't as easy.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**_

 **Chapter 22: The Truth**

It was over a month and a half before Sirius Black attempted to enter the school again. By that time, Edith and her gang were waiting for him.

Sally and Flora had spent their free hours fine tuning their trap, laying false pathways that sealed once you stepped through them and placing boulders above the exits to the secret passageways within Hogwarts. The pathway to Hogsmeade, and the Shrieking Shack, was through one of those passageways.

The Slytherin-Ravenclaw-Hufflepuff guards, aka Sally, Hermione, Susan and Daphne, would then push the convict with misdirection into the Shack and then block the exit. Flora and Hestia had stolen some Veratiserum from Snape's office a few days after Edith filled her friends in on her newfound desire to catch Black; it was ready for a moment's use.

"Well, he's been sighted again." Susan announced, putting the latest edition of the Prophet down on the Slytherin table. Dancia abandoned her conversation with Blaise to lean in and examine the paper.

"He must be hiding out in the Forest," She said. "That must be why he keeps getting sighted at Hogsmeade and nowhere else."

"Not very subtle, is it?" Blaise muttered.

"He was in Azkaban for thirteen years, and before that he was a Gryffindor. I don't think being subtle was ever something in his dictionary." Tracey offered, frowning at the page.

"So, does everyone know their role?" Edith enquired. When her friends all nodded, she smiled coldly. "Good. Then let's spring it tonight...he'll head back up to the Gryffindor tower, considering what happened last time. Ginny, where are Fred and George?"

"In detention. Again." Ginny deadpanned, while a some fellow students snickered. Fred and George had gotten in trouble for testing some of their inventions for their planned joke shop – Puking Pastries, they were so named. Professor Snape had been thoroughly unamused when Neville, who had volunteered for the testing, had projectile vomited all over his robes during potions class. So the three of them were unavailable for the night. "But they put out the redesigned Extendable Ears around the halls like you asked."

The young redhead then handed out several earpieces, to Edith, Sally, Daphne, and Ron. Fred and George were happy to help out their 'favourite Slytherin' with her desire to get justice for her parents, and over the course of a month reworked one of their patented instruments to serve as audio surveillance bugs. The earpieces picked up movement and vocals, and movement past them caused a light _ping_ to vibrate the black plastic.

Matching this with the Maurader's Map gave Edith perfect visual of every single hall and room in Hogwarts. It gave her unprecedented control, and she had been experimenting with it.

Once Nott had tried to bully a couple first years in an empty classroom on the other side of the school, only to find himself face to face with an angry Tristan a few seconds after pushing one of the young girls. Another time, Parkinson was also chased around by Tristan after she tried to corner and stun/hex Hermione and Cho as the two girls headed off to their Astronomy lessons.

" _I have smelled the wolf man around the edges._ " Trsitan told his mistress, nuzzling her arm. " _He's been biding his time, waiting for an opening. The Ice Monsters have been getting restless, snapping at every human to pass by their posts._ "

Edith grimaced. She had ensured that everyone in her group could use the Patronus Charm, but it was only a matter of time before some curious and silly first year wandered out of bounds, wondering what the big deal with Dementors was, and then got their soul ripped out. Colin Creevy had a close call with one during a Ravenclaw/Gryffindor Quidditch match when the Dementors had swarmed the stands. And yet in spite of that, Minister Fudge refused to pull the monsters out.

 _Idiots. They're all thrice damned, self involved idiots, except for Susan's aunt. And she can't do too much with Fudge in charge._ Edith thought.

Susan had ranted about this at length during Patronus practice. Her aunt was a sensible, smart, and intelligent woman, possessing a strong sense of justice and rightness. Amelia Bones was the head of the DMLE, the legal and justice arm of the Ministry, and yet despite her rank she often had to get approval from the Ministry to do much important.

Thus, she can't immediately pull out the horrible soul sucking monsters that could mete a fate worse than death to her beloved niece the moment they got too hungry.

The only response Edith could really give to this was, "In a democracy, anyone can be a ruler. That's just one of the risks you have to take."

Susan and Hermione of all people both snickered at this, which she took as a win.

Edith switched her earpiece on and off, ensuring that it was in proper working order, before looking among her friends and asking, "does everyone know their role?" When she was met by nods, she smiled coldly. "Great. Go through your day as normal, wait until your dorm goes to sleep tonight, and then meet me by the one eyed witch."

 _ ****~Later that day~****_

Tristan growled at Mrs Norris, sending the cat sprinting down the hall in terror. Edith, Daphne, Tracey and Dancia all snickered. "Now all I have to do is kick her, and my dreams will be complete." Dancia said dreamily.

Flora, Hestia and Blaise had gone on ahead of them to head off Filch. It only took a few minutes for the second group to catch up with them, hanging around by the One Eyed Witch. Edith glanced down at the Maurader's Map and saw Filch running back and forth in the basement.

"What did you do?" She asked Flora and Blaise in amusement.

"Tickle hex." Flora responded with a snicker. "Hestia's invention." The twin girl blushed and nodded in admittance.

Tracey squealed in excitement. She and Hestia were both very passionate about Ancient Runes and spell creation, and they had been working together for several months now. This spell was the first of their inventions so far – fairly harmless compared to the competition, but it was a simple one and easier to create.

"Good work," Edith said approvingly, looking between the two girls. Hestia and Tracey both bowed slightly while Susan clapped quietly.

Sally, Hermione, and Cho looked equally pleased. They were the first to arrive at the one eyed statue, and Sally was quite worked up about getting their killer – Black.

Ron and Colin Creevy showed up next, looking sheepish at the time it took for him to catch up. "Sorry about that," He panted. "We had to loose Dean and Seamus in the common room. Scabbers nearly gave us away."

He scowled down at his pocket, where a stunned rat was sleeping. He wouldn't have cared much for his 'pet' if it wasn't the only one he'd ever had given his family's lack of money. Thus he had emotionally invested in the mangled brown rat, to an extent.

Hence why he had brought Scabbers along with him, since Dean hated rats and probably would have bludgeoned the creature in a panic thanks to the darkness.

Colin eagerly jumped up and down. He all but worshipped Edith in a similar manner to Ginny before the girl had gotten to know her heroine the best, and he had his magic pen and pad for recording important details brought along. "This is gonna be great!" He said.

"Shh," Ron muttered. "You're going to wake the paintings, kid."

Ginny snickered. Ron almost never got a chance to act like a 'big brother'. Ginny herself was usually too self assured to take that, and he was usually on the receiving end of it from Charlie and Bill. However, he was usually the one who had to handle Colin's exuberance since they were both Gryffindors, a task he took to with some reluctance but did it very well.

"Remember everyone...wands out. Be prepared for anything." Edith said as she placed a hand on the one eyed witch. Hissing the password, she opened the passageway and the group slowly vanished one by one into the pathway. The students broke off at their respective places and began to wait.

Edith sat in the basement of Honeydukes with Ginny on her right and Sally on her left, looking down at the map. Tristan had already escaped the building and was pacing about, seeking out their animagus 'friend'.

"Where is he?" Sally whispered, staring down at the map with her eyes narrowed.

"Be patient." Edith murmured, leaning back against a box of treats. Ginny nodded, placing a hand on the girl's arm. "It's a stakeout. He has to feel like it's safe to emerge from the forest."

Sally sighed, biting her lip. She wasn't a big fan of sitting and waiting, preferring action to secrecy. Edith understood that in principle, since secrecy often left felt like cheating or cheap shots. Given Sally's warm, paladin – like nature, she wasn't a big fan of guerrilla tactics.

They waited for a quite a while in the basement before Black appeared, chased by Tristan. Instantly, the group burst into action.

Flora, Hestia, Hermione and Blaise had cut off the pathway to Hogwarts, while Susan, Ron, Daphne and Tracey were leaving a line straight to the Shrieking Shack. Edith, Sally and Ginny burst out of Honeydukes and followed up on Tristan's attack.

Black had been willing to fight with the massive white hound, but with three witches coming out of the dark he tried to make a break for it. Daphne and Tracey drove him towards the shack with stunners and blasting spells. Hestia, Flora, Hermione and Blaise surged forward at this point, forming a barrier behind Edith, Sally and Ginny as the stone faced, red haired girl who lived stormed forward.

Tristan drove Black to the second floor. The house was a ruin, with claw marks ripping up the walls, floor and furniture. The children piled into the room on the second floor, Hermione carefully sliding off Edith's invisibility cloak and handing it to Sally. It had been brought along as a worst case scenario weapon.

Black was backed into a corner in his dog form. Tristan stood in the middle of the room, snarling with his hackles raised. His collar was glowing brightly. Silently Edith walked up to her faithful familiar, lightly stroking his fur.

"Tristan's a wonderful companion, isn't he?" She asked the dog animagus. "He's strong, brave...and unwaveringly loyal. I thought that was in a dog's nature. But then again...I am looking at you."

Hermione, Ginny, Sally, Ron, Dancia, and Blaise silently slid forward and pointed their wands at him. "Now, do you want to transform back willingly, or shall we do it for you?" Edith asked coldly.

Black stared back at her for a long minute before, in a whirl, the dog was replaced by a filthy man in Azkaban robes. Sirius Black looked like the living dead; his eyes sunk into his head, his frame bony and gnarled from lack of care and proper food. He looked around the various wands pointed at him, and then looked at Edith.

"You going to kill me, Edith?" He rasped quietly.

"Don't tempt me. And _don't_ call me Edith." Edith snapped. Tristan snarled, causing Sirius's eyes to flicker to the massive angry hound. "You don't have the right to any more. _Godfather_."

Sirius's calm, measured expression slipped. "You...you know about that?"

"Yes. I know that you were supposedly my father's best friend. I know that you came from a family of blood purist lunatics." Edith paused and then glanced over at Dancia. "No offence to you or your mother."

"It's fine. I know what you mean." Dancia said easily.

Sirius's eyes flickered to Lucius Malfoy's daughter with pure surprise. Sure, Lucius had joined him in Azkaban last year – screaming about how his wife had betrayed him, a Black to the bone – but he had assumed that the poison he had dripped in his daughter's ears would have remained behind for much longer.

"And I know you betrayed my parents to Voldemort." Edith finished, her eyes narrowing. Her fingers tightened in Tristan's fur, who stalked forward a few paces.

Slowly, Sirius Black shook his head, bewildered by what he was seeing. Edith, his granddaughter, had always been gentle, sweet and laughing. Now she was standing in front of him with a cold, enraged expression – which he had expected – and surrounded by a small army of fellow children like a cult leader, with all of them pointing their wands at him. The power radiating from his precious goddaughter was something he had associated with the Blacks, the Order of the Phoenix, or Death Eaters...except there was no doubt, no confusion, no questions of authority. These children were all looking to Edith for what she wanted.

"...No."

"No? What do you mean, no?" Edith asked coldly.

"...I did not give your parents up to Voldemort." Sirius said softly.

Sally's eyes narrowed at the man's audacity. "How dare you!" She spat. "There are thirteen bodies of innocent muggles on the street thanks to you. That happened less than a day after Lily and James Potter were killed."

Sirius let out a small, weak chuckle. "Y-Yeah. I-I figured that would be the conclusion...after I woke up in that black cell of Azkaban."

"Woke up?" Susan echoed. "What about your trial? Have you forgotten about that?"

"Forgot?" Sirius looked over at her. Susan flinched, but with a glance over at Edith, she straightened her back and glared back at him. "You...you look a little like Amelia and Amy. No, little girl, my trial? I didn't get a trial. Just like Trixie and her husband."

"Trixie...Bellatrix? Funny that you're still referring to that basket-case by a pet name. That would explain a lot." Ron fired off, since Susan had blanched and failed to respond at the implication that someone had been denied a trial.

"Old habits die hard." Sirius responded raspily. "She's a nutcase now, I would know, she nearly sheered my arm off during the first war...but she was family once."

"Enough." Edith barked. Ron balked and muttered an apology, taking a step backwards. Black's eyes flickered between them again.

Edith returned her attention to him. "Tell me Black. What did you have to gain from turning my mother and father over to die?" She asked. "Did you feel wronged by them, somehow? Were you still haunted by your parents ramblings?"

Sirius shook his head vehemently. "I did not betray James or Lily," He insisted. "I would have died first."

"But you are still alive. And they are not." Edith growled, tapping Tristan on the shoulder. The dog lunged forward and shoved his muzzle in Black's face, barking twice and snapping an inch from his nose.

"It was someone else!" Sirius gasped, pulling his head back away from Tristan's maw. "It was Pettigrew! Peter Pettigrew."

"Peter..." Edith muttered. She snapped her fingers, and Tristan pulled back a bit. "Daphne. Tracey. Restrain him."

Sirius yelped and tried to get up, but both girls hit him with a binding spell, freezing him against the wall. Flora walked forward and pulled out the Veratiserum she had stolen earlier. Tracey pushed his jaw open and Flora poured the whole drink down his throat – overkill to ensure no leeway.

Edith knelt down and met his eyes coldly. "Peter Pettigrew? Why should I believe that?"

"Ow! Scabbers! What the hell!" Ron grabbed his pet with both hands, wondering why it had suddenly gone nuts. Colin did the older boy assistance by casting immobilize on the rat.

Sirius gasped at the sight of the monster. "Boy. Bring that rat here."

"What? Why?" Ron demanded.

"Do it, Ron." Edith ordered. "he's under the serum. He wouldn't ask if it wasn't relevant."

Frowning uncertainly, Ron walked over and held Scabbers out by the tail. Sirius's eyes widened, and he started to grin in a feral way.

"There you are, you little bastard!" He said gleefully.

Edith slapped him, startling Sally and Ginny. They had seen bits of this side of their friend and heroine, with Sally having been there when she faced down Voldemort. But that was Voldemort, a plain monster who at the time had been parasiting on the back of a man's head. However, such coldness and harshness from Edith was still startling. Even against a man who was supposedly involved.

"I asked you a question, Black." She spat. "Now _talk_."

"Peter Pettigrew was part of our group of friends. The Mauraders, we were called...James, me, Remus...and Peter. We were inseparable. We did everything together. We were blood brothers. We thought that nothing could splinter that bond."

Sirius shook his head. "I...underestimated Peter. He wasn't a true friend. He liked having powerful companions, people who would protect him. He was a coward in the end, which we had brushed off as charming quirks. And when it looked like Voldemort was stronger than James and I...he defected, and became a spy for him. He did this for over a year."

"...go on."

Ginny knew what Edith was thinking about – Sirius's breakdown in front of the Gryffindor Common Room. _You killed them, come out and face that you bastard..._

"When...when Voldemort targeted James and Lily, they went into hiding. James went to me about becoming the Secret Keeper for their Fieldus Charm. I would have done it...I would have taken it to my grave...but Dumbledore stepped in then, he was worried that I was too obvious, that I wouldn't be able to put up defences of my own strong enough to keep out Voldemort and his followers. We thought about that for a little, and then I got an idea..."

"Peter was cowardly. Everyone tended not to notice him. I thought it was the perfect bluff, and James loved the idea. Lily didn't. She thought Peter wouldn't be able to handle the stress. We never listened to her whenever it was most important."

Sirius's eyes rolled up in rage. "That day, I went to look for his hiding place, to check on him...but he was gone. It scared me...I ran out to the cottage where your parents were staying, and I found them dead...with only you left behind."

"I...I wanted to leave with you, take you some place safe where we could hide...but Hagrid showed up then. He said that Dumbledore wanted you moved some place safe...I knew Peter was out there, having betrayed James and Lily...who trusted him...and I lost my head."

"I went after Peter...I was so angry, it was as if I was seeing the world from outside my own body. I chased Peter down to that street. He pretended to weep, asked me why _I_ had betrayed James and Lily... throwing the blame on me...I took out my wand to curse him, but he had pulled his out behind him. He killed those muggles with an explosive spell, knocking off one of his fingers along the way, transformed into a rat, and sped into the sewers..."

"A rat?" Edith asked flatly. Her eyes gave nothing away, her emotions having come so strong that they had collapsed inward.

"We were all animagi." Sirius said quietly. Ron looked down at the rat in his hand and dropped it on the floor, unnerved. "Peter's form was a rat. _That_ rat." He tilted his head towards the rat on the ground, unable to lung on it himself.

Edith glanced over at Hermione and Cho, and tilted her head to the rat. The two girls stepped forward, the kids shifting the barricade along the way. The girls combined their magical power to cast the spell, and the tiny rat whirled around until it became a pudgy, balding man with dirty fingernails.

Ron and Ginny both made noises of alarm and disgust, staring at the once-rat in alarm. Colin made a face, levelling his wand at Pettigrew. Daphne and Tracey hissed, while Dancia regarded Pettigrew with a look of recognition.

"Wait a minute. I recognize him." She pointed at him. "He came to visit Father when I was a child. They were discussing something...I was never privy to the conversations. Neither was mother."

"...Wake him up." Edith ordered. Colin nodded and released his spell, while Ginny also released Black – just in case Pettigrew attempted to run for it.

Pettigrew stumbled to his feet immediately. "Wha..." his eyes floated around fearfully, and he first tried to go for the door but Flora, Hermione, and Daphne put a stop to that. "E-Edith...S-Sirius...my old friends, my family..."

Sirius snarled in rage and jumped at him. Tristan pulled him off by grabbing his clothes with his teeth, pulling him away. "Stay still, or I'll stun you again;" Hermione warned, brandishing her wand. Peter looked petrified, while Sirius just backed up a bit, looking every bit as dangerous as Tristan and his animagus form.

"I...Edith, you have to help me..." Peter pleaded.

"Help you?" Edith said with a slight snarl, spinning around and glaring at him. The flash in her eyes made her look older, and more threatening, than any fourteen year old girl should be able to comprehend or be familiar with.

"Sirius told me under a truth potion that you betrayed my parents! You gave them up to Voldemort! You were their friend! You said it yourself, we were family!"

Peter whimpered and stumbled backwards, "I...I didn't mean to...! H-He's tricking you, somehow...he must have sealed his throat, transfigured it. I would never-"

Sirius sprang to his feet. "Voldemort, teach me tricks?!" He snarled. Peter whimpered. "What? Afraid of your master's name? Oh, if I were you I would be terrified...I've heard his followers talking in Azkaban...Voldemort went to the Potters on your information...and he met his demise there...Bellatrix in particular was vocal about what she'd do to you if she saw you again..."

Peter took a step backwards. "I would never..."

"What? You were too cowardly?" Edith snapped.

Peter whimpered. "I...he has powers you can hardly imagine...I was forced too...I couldn't..."

"Don't _lie_! YOU WERE HIS SPY FOR A YEAR BEFORE YOU COMMITTED THAT FINAL BETRAYAL!" Sirius bellowed.

Suddenly, the air became freezing cold. Hermione ran over to the window and cried out in alarm.

"The Dementors are coming for us!"

"How many?" Edith asked.

Hermione looked panicked. "ALL OF THEM!"

 **End Chapter**

 _ **Cliffhanger. Sorry. I couldn't help it.**_

 _ **Read and Review please**_


	24. Chapter 24

**Cult Potter**

 _ **(Writer's block lies diced to pieces in a corner) Wanda: Geez, for some reason this chapter was so much harder to write...than pretty much any single one preceding it. I have no idea why that is. Maybe it's because I realized I cut out Hermione's Time Turner subplot (she hasn't asked for it yet, since Cho ended up teaching her some less stressful manners of studying a lot at once) and that played a bigger part in the book than I remember. Don't worry, Time Turners will be showing up in this story soon enough - those are fun to play with, when they aren't just story-starting plot devices.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**_

 **Chapter 23: Power**

Edith immediately stunned Pettigrew. "Everyone, wands out!" She ordered. Tristan snarled and scurried forward as the students armed themselves. "How close are they?"

"They must sense Black; they're starting to surround the shack." Hermione relayed.

"That's great!" Ginny said, glancing over at Edith. "The teachers must have noticed that they're swarming towards Hogsmeade. We need to get back to school without being seen!"

Edith's expression twisted in concentration for a moment as she came up with a plan. "We'll need to get to the Honeydukes cellar. You," She turned back towards Sirius, frowning. "Transform again."

"But you can't fight those things alone!" Sirius protested.

"You're useless without your wand!" Edith pointed out sharply. Sirius looked like he wanted to argue, but at her frown he did take to his dog form. Tristan padded up next to him, warily eyeing the open windows of the shack. "Now, who has Pettigrew?"

"We do," Ron, Blaise and Colin said.

"We're going to make a formation. You three stay in the middle, and we'll protect you." A wave of pain and despair rolled over the group, but Edith squared her shoulders and gave commands above it. "If you've made the most progress on your Patronus, you're out at front!"

Edith lead the group out of the shack at the head of the party. The Dementor's aura caused her terrible pain, but she kept her head up. Once they were all out the door, seven voices shouted in unison, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

The blasts of light formed a dome around the children, pushing aside the Dementors who had flown low to get at them. The undead creatures snarled and flew off in every direction, banking so they could make another pass.

"Run!" Edith ordered, and the group took off in a sprint. The Shrieking Shack was a ways away from Honeydukes. The Dementors – there had to be over a hundreds of them – swung back through the air to make another pass at their would be meal.

Edith spun on her heel, pointed her wand up and shouted, " _Expecto Patronum!_ "

A massive blast of white light lit up the sky...after a second, it took on the form of a spectral tiger. The feline swiped at the Dementors, driving the cloud apart and forcing them back. The light filled all of Hogsmeade.

When the Ministry men and Dumbledore came out to investigate, the team of detectives had just disappeared into the tunnels back to Hogwarts.

%&%&%&%&%&%&

"Wow," Ron winced. "D'you think we cut it a bit close sometimes Edith?"

"I...cannot deny it." Edith said before cursing in pain; she had strained her ankle while falling into the secret passageway. Ginny stepped over so the redhead could lean on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, everyone. I hadn't accounted for the Dementors."

"Well, they're not supposed to swarm the students..." Colin offered.

"A lot of good that would have done if some of you had lost your souls." Edith said bitterly. "I should have been more careful – I should have remembered the danger." Tristan brushed against her side in concern. "If any one of you got hurt doing something for me..." She grimaced and shook her head. "Next time, I'll be better prepared."

"Next time?" Sirius rasped, looking at her in concern.

Edith waved a hand irritably, dismissing the question. Just because Sirius was innocent didn't mean she wanted to engage with him on any level. "We need to get back to the dorms." She tapped her earpiece. "Dumbledore is waking the other teachers. We'll need to split up; smaller groups will have a better time avoiding detection."

"Y-You're not going to Dumbledore?" Sirius stammered, confused. Proving his innocence to Dumbledore, not the Ministry, had been his first instinct. "But we have the rat – we can prove-"

"The old man?" Edith grimaced. "Why go to him? He's a school headmaster, not law enforcement. I'll take the rat to the Auror contact at the gate."

"Auntie Amelia is going to blow a gasket." Susan observed as the group hurried through the tunnel. "With what Pettigrew did, and the fact he got away with it for thirteen years...she wasn't in charge of the DMLE back then, but she was a junior Auror. She's going to be _so_ mad..."

"Transform back," Edith told Sirius. "Just in case. There's enough trouble to go around at this point..."

Sirius slowly shook his head in acceptance before shifting back into Padfoot. Tristan fell in step with him as the group emerged from the One Eyed Witch, activated their earpieces, and headed back towards their respective dorms. Edith noted Filch's position on the map; he was on the main floor so Susan and Sally needed to be on the lookout...

Edith, Ginny, Dancia, Daphne, Hestia, Flora and Tracey all scrambled into their dorm two at a time. Tracey lead Sirius to the common room and stuffed the whining animagus under the couch, before throwing the blanket back over it and grabbing one of her books, pretending to have fallen asleep after some midnight studying.

"Stay there until Edith comes back," Tracey told him.

Flora was holding the still stunned Pettigrew by the neck, having handled him none-to-gently during the mad dash back to the school. Hestia, usually right at her sister's side at any point, was maintaining a three foot distance, having been thoroughly disturbed not just by Pettigrew's crime, but by the fact he had been living in the same room as Ginny and Ron for over ten years.

Ginny was sickened to realize that she had been sharing her house with a murderer, but she was determined to maintain her composure. Ron, meanwhile, had thrown up, mostly because he had defended "Scabbers" from other Gryffindor pets.

Edith looked between the twins. "I've got a story," Flora promised.

"Good." The redhead said, managing to sound exhausted, angry, and sad at the same time. All her worst memories had been drawn up in a rush, coupled with the fatigue of using so much magic at once, and she could barely stand.

Hestia put a gentle had on her shoulder. "Edith, you don't have to come."

"Yes I do," Edith muttered angrily.

Hestia looked over at Ginny for help. The younger girl stepped in front of Edith, frowning at her...and then reached up and embraced her, rubbing her back. Edith felt something snap inside her, and she buried her face in the other girl's shoulder.

" _I can't, Ginny, I can't, I'm seeing everything..._ " She whispered.

"Shhh." Ginny murmured gently. "He'll get what's coming to him. We'll make sure of that. But damaging your health won't do any good..."

"...Take him to Professor Lupin. He...Sirius and Mum and Dad, they were friends. He'll understand, he'll recognize Pettigrew." Edith instructed the Carrow twins, giving in. The two blondes nodded before hurrying down the hallway.

"That was an incredible patronus," Ginny whispered as she lead Edith back towards her bed in an attempt to move the other girl's mind elsewhere. It would help her sleep. "You're a very powerful witch, Edith..."

Most people would have been proud of such a statement. Edith shook her head slightly. "It almost wasn't enough..."

"But it was."

"You could have gotten hurt..."

"We chose to help you." Ginny said gently but firmly. "We went out knowing something bad could potentially happen. Don't blame yourself for that."

"But I have to...your my responsibility. Heroes, knights and queens...they have to protect those under them...that's the base reason for their existence..."

Ginny shook her head slightly as they reached the bed. Edith collapsed on it, while her friend shifted the blankets. "You're not Atlas, Edith...you can't carry everyone..."

"If I don't, no one will..." Edith stared at the ceiling for a moment. Ginny carefully sat on the bed next to her and brushed her hair away from her face. "...He spent thirteen years with those things, Ginny. Thirteen years and he might as well have been dead and in hell...except hell doesn't confine innocent people. He never betrayed my parents, but he payed the price...with all those Dementors in one place, I saw it all, the sum of my worst experiences...that was just for a few moments...thirteen years, Ginny. Thirteen years of stolen life. Life in hell."

Ginny shivered. "I almost can't believe he's still sane...dad went there once, to Azkaban. He said it was the worst experience of his life. He came home weak and shaking, didn't calm down until Mum had cuddled with him for an hour and given him enough tea to make Auntie Muriel sick."

"You know...I heard people whispering Sirius had been muttering 'she's at Hogwarts' when he was in Azkaban...but I think they misheard him...he was looking for Pettigrew. He said 'he's at Hogwarts'...he stayed sane because he wanted to protect me."

Edith's voice broke when she said this. Ginny saw a few stray tears drip down her friend's cheek, and it hurt her heart more than anything she'd felt for a friend before. "I wanted to kill him, Ginny. I wanted to tear him apart. I almost told Tristan to rip his throat out, and all along he just wanted to keep me safe."

"Edith, you were told he was responsible for betraying your parents...of course you felt that way...we didn't have any way of knowing he didn't..."

"That night at the Gryffindor common room..."

"We thought he was crazy, remember? Azkaban makes everyone who goes inside crazy. That's what everyone says."

"Sirius didn't."

"Good lord, Edith. You're really good at making everything your fault."

Edith smiled weakly. Ginny kept brushing her hair, a small part of her mind noting how soft it was. "Remus didn't tell me about Sirius...I wonder if he doubted if his friend had committed the crime...it never came up in conversation."

"He wanted to protect you, Edith...I'm sure of it..."

Edith shook her head slightly. "That doesn't work. Not like that. I found out anyway, and I could have killed him. Being kept ignorant of my magic didn't stop Vernon and Petunia from abusing me, and being ignorant of someone who could have been determined to kill me didn't help me either..."

"Mum says even adults don't have all the answers sometimes." Ginny recalled.

"...Thank you, Ginny...can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

Edith looked over at her, green eyes glistening. "Please stay here until I fall asleep."

Ginny nodded slowly, smiling softly down at the Girl-Who-Lived. "Sure. No problem."

It took five minutes for Edith to fall back asleep. Ginny lingered in the dorm for a few moments afterwards, just looking down on her heroine and friend. Her heart felt strange, and she wasn't sure why. "I'd do anything for you," Ginny said quietly. Then, slightly impulsively, she kissed Edith on the forehead before hurrying back to her own bed.

 **% &%&%&%&%&%&%**

Aurors were at the school by the next day.

"See? Told you," Susan remarked with a slight grin, pointing a thumb over at Amelia Bones. The head of the DMLE had arrived in person with an entire armed division, and she was currently in the process of screaming curses at Dumbledore for missing the signs that there was a mass murderer within the school and near its premises.

Ron and Ginny were standing nearby, offering explanations for Pettigrew's time with them. Poor Ron was still green at the face whenever he talked about it; an Auror named Kingsley had eventually taken pity on him and given him some mint candy to settle his stomach. Their father Arthur had been brought over from the Ministry. His normally friendly face was twisted in a unique mixture of concern for his children and rage upon realizing they had been within arm's reach of a very dangerous man right under his nose for thirteen years.

Dumbledore looked very harassed, and he wasn't the only one. Professor Lupin looked grimly pleased, while Professor Snape looked like he wasn't entirely sure what to think in that moment. Minister Fudge also looked like he'd been put through a verbal hurricane. Sirius himself was in a spare room with his little cousin Nymphadora Tonks, waiting to be cleared to go to the Ministry to sort the end of his long nightmare out.

Edith, meanwhile, was sitting and eating her lunch, pretending not to notice the huge amount of attention that was being drawn to her.

 **End Chapter**

 _ **If I had a minor complaint about Harry's canon patronus, it's that there's no difference between his mother's and his fathers...I mean, what? When you get married, your unique partronus just changes into the distaff counterpart of your husband's...? C'mon. That's lame. So in this version, Edith's patronus is radically different, because that's how I prefer it.**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	25. Chapter 25

**Cult Potter**

 _ **Wanda: I Think this is going to be my first story to break 100,000 words. That is a really exciting thought; I've never written anything as long as this and I consider this sort of writing to be a precursor to writing my own original novels. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and please, everyone review!**_

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter._**

 **Chapter 24: Handing Out Miracles**

"This is where you stay?" Sirius asked, dazed, as he looked up at the three story house at Number 4 Privet Drive. Two of the house elves opened the door and let the pair inside, revealing the revamped, modern and sleek new design of the interior. The walls had been repainted to a soft blue and gold, and the walls had been rearranged.

"Yeah." Edith said with a shrug. "Nice looking, isn't it? It used to be horribly generic, white picket fence and everything. After my uncle and company were thrown in jail, I thought I'd spruce it up a bit. It wasn't like I had much better to do."

Sirius glanced over at her. After being released from the Ministry, compensated for his stay in Azkaban and reuniting with his cousins Andromeda and Narcissa. The two women filled him in on the events he had missed during his stay in the living hell, and Sirius reconciled with Narcissa after learning about her split from Lucius.

"Beats the hell out of Grimmauld Place." Sirius muttered as he looked around.

"Huh?" Edith looked curiously at him.

"My parent's place." Sirius explained, his brows narrowing darkly. "Where I grew up. I couldn't leave that place fast enough. I think I'll sell that damn place when I have the time..."

Edith shook her head. The way Sirius talked about his parents reminded her of Vernon and Petunia. "Sure thing, Sirius. You can get that done first after you visit St Mugos."

"St Mugos?" Sirius said in alarm. "Why?"

"You were in Azkaban for twelve years!" Edith responded, befuddled that her godfather wasn't seeing the obvious problem there. "With Dementors! You need treatment for that."

"I'll be okay, Edith."

"Sirius, _please_." Edith turned around and gave him a pleading look. "There's no way you could walk off that kind of torture. And it _is_ torture – psychological torture." Sirius opened his mouth to object, only to stop and consider that thought. "I want you to heal from this..."

Edith locked her fingers together. "It was my fault.."

" _What?_ No!" Sirius surged forward and swept the young girl up in a tight hug. "What happened to me was not, is not, and never will be your fault Edith. I made a bad call and Crouch was the one who put me away with the soul suckers. Don't ever blame yourself for that."

Edith said nothing, instead leaning her head against Sirius's shoulder. Tristan barked in agreement and rubbed against her legs.

"Just promise me you'll go," Edith whispered, "Promise me."

Sirius's stubborn resolve crumbled at Edith's sad expression. He'd already failed her once before, surely he could do this to ease her mind? "Alright, little cat. I promise."

Edith smiled. "Thank you Sirius. Let's have dinner first."

The affair was long and sort of cute. Sirius, who hadn't had real food since being taken to Azkaban, had devoured three plates of rice and corn without stopping, while Edith giggled and watched. A lot of stuff ended up on the floor, to Tristan's delight and Missy the elf's frustration.

What Sirius didn't know is that Edith had given him a minor dose of Dreamless Sleep draught – both to ensure he rested long and well, and as part of her plan to have an outside night. As the older man nodded off, Edith had Missy teleport him up to the new guest bedroom, before stepping into the larger kitchen and making herself some coffee. Once the kettle boiled, she walked back into the living room and to her shiny new Floo entrance. "Hannah Abbott," she intoned, before tossing the fire in.

After a flash, her Hufflepuff friend appeared into the flames. "Hey Edith." She whispered to avoid waking up her kid brother Phoenix, who had fallen asleep on the couch after finally watching the whole extended Return of the King cut. "So we're on tonight?"

"Yes." Edith smiled slightly, having slung a large hand bag slung over her shoulder. It was full of bottled potions of varying strength. "I made some coffee for you. We'll probably be out for a while."

"Thank you," Hannah stepped through the green fire and emerged into the living room. Her just-past shoulder length heather coloured hair was tied back in a practical bun, a glittering hairclip holding it all up. She was dressed in a blue denim jacket, cargo pants and blue laced sneakers. While Hannah had been raised mostly in the magical world by her single mother thanks to her muggle father's death, she hadn't lost her connection to his world. She, too, had a bag slung over one shoulder.

Since her second year, Hannah had been taking an exclusive potions course relating to healing, lead by the medi witch Poppy. The witch happily referred to Hannah as a protege, the most talented kid she'd seen in a generation. Her predecessor in that department was Alice Longbottom.

Edith lead her into the kitchen and handed her a mug. Hannah drank it with three sugars, which was probably the only thing she and her best friend Susan Bones argued about. _How are your teeth not falling out?_ Susan would complain. _How do YOU enjoy your coffee so bitter?_ Hannah would retort.

This would go on for a while.

"Stay and watch the house for me, okay Tristan?" Edith scratched her loyal familiar between the ears. "They generally don't let animals into the hospital. Make sure Sirius stays asleep, okay?"

" _I will. Take care, Edith._ " Tristan nuzzled her hand. " _Just use your discretion...there's only so much trouble you can take on at once._ "

"When have I not?" Edith asked with mild sarcasm. Hannah snickered, and the two girls walked out into the cool summer night. The redhead stretched slightly, enjoying the breeze against her face. "I love this kind of weather."

"So do I," Hannah admitted. "So, what's Sirius like?"

"I'm not sure yet. He's good at making jokes, but he's still worn out from Azkaban. I'll see more when he starts to get better." Edith responded. "Remus will come over once he finds another steady job. Susan's aunt offered to help him out with that."

"There's the bus. We better go," Hannah said. Both girls broke into a sprint, making it to the stop just before the errant transport vehicle could get away from them. Neither girl had their apparating licence yet, and the Knight Bus only moved to wizard locations.

After a twenty minute drive, the girls got out at their destination. It was the nearest and largest hospital in the Little Whining area. Edith lead the way through the double doors, Hannah looking a bit awed as she took everything in.

Edith examined the map, before muttering, "Fourth floor. That's a place to start." The two put a quickness to their step, hoping that if they looked concerned, the adults would simply assume they had a relative somewhere in the building.

Once stepping out of the elevator on the third floor, Edith's eyes widened in surprise.

"Duncan?"

Her first muggle friend, who looked more haggard than she had ever seen him before, jerked up in surprise at his name. There were dark circles under his eyes, and three of his fingers were wrapped up in bandages. "Edith," He gasped, springing to his feet and running over to her, giving her a hug. Edith winced and took a small step backwards before placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Duncan, what's wrong?" She whispered. "What happened?"

"My mom was driving-" Duncan babbled, "-she'd been laid off – stupid bastard didn't want her position going to a woman – she'd had a drink – some guy was going the wrong way – went through a guard rail – she's hurt really badly, Edith!"

"Shhh, shh..." Edith whispered soothingly, gently rubbing circles on his back. "It's okay, Duncan. It's going to be okay." Duncan took a few deep breaths and nodded shakily.

"Is your mother here?" Hannah asked. "Take us to her."

Duncan lead them down three doors before nervously knocking. Edith and Hannah cast a mild Notice-Me-Not spell over themselves before the door opened. The nurse holding the handle looked pityingly at Duncan, which was universally a bad sign, before leading him into the room.

Rosemary Fields had certainly seen better days. Two of her arms were up in splints, having been broken in three places by the crash. Her ankle was also broken beyond repair. The doctors were talking quietly, saying she would likely loose the ability to use either of her hands.

"I can't loose her, Edith," Duncan sobbed. "She's my mother..."

Edith put a hand on the boy's arm. "Duncan. Shh. Do you remember my private school?" Duncan nodded timidly. "It's a special school. Only some people go there...because only some people can do some magical things." Gently she brushed stray hair away from his face as he looked at her in faint hope. "We can help your mother. Hannah."

"The only breaks are in her arms and foot." Hannah said, having cast a basic medical scan on Rosemary. "There's blood loss, but nothing she can't recover from on her own. Honestly, I think the worst of it is in her liver...it's taken a beating."

"Can you fix it?"

"The bones, yes – that was the first thing we learned after healing skin. The liver, I can only help to a certain point...I'd need more experience to heal it entirely." Hannah's expression became distressed at this.

"Do what you can. That will be enough for now," Edith said calmingly. Still gentle, she pushed Duncan to sit down as Hannah slung her bag onto the ground and took out the various potions she would need, the first being a painkiller.

Rosemary blinked as the potion hit her system, surprised as the pain she had been experiencing for hours drained away. Dazed, she raised her head to see two teenaged girls flitting around her like miniature angels. The redhead lowered the gurnery and opened her arms, splashing some red on the sheet. Rosemary yelped, but it seemed that none of the doctors saw what was happening to her.

Then the heather haired girl stepped forward, pouring a strange coloured and smelling liquid into her arm. That girl then procured a small stick, just short of the length of her arm, and muttered something. A soft glow surrounded Rosemary's arms. The woman blinked, stunned, as the strange bend that had been in her limbs slowly righted itself. Once she was done with one, the heather haired girl flitted to the other side and repeated the process as the redhead waved another stick over the red cut.

 _I'm hallucinating,_ Rosemary thought in shock as the massive deep cuts melted away before her eyes. _It must be the morphine..._

The heather haired girl seemed to be in charge, murmuring instructions to the redhead as she leaned over the woman's various injuries. Gently setting her arms down out of the gurnerys, the heather girl walked down to her ankle. The doctors were reacting now – sputters of astonishment and confusion rang through Rosemary's ears as her son leapt out of her seat, hovering at her side, eyes wide with joy and hope.

Heather hair looked severely down at the ankle, snapping her fingers and giving the redhead another instruction, who walked over to a bag and pulled out a different vial from the one she had been given, since it wasn't the one that was needed.

Finally, Rosemary recognized the redhead as Duncan's friend Edith. The heather girl took the new vial and waved her wand. While she couldn't feel anything, thanks to the painkiller, the entire destroyed ankle bone was vanished. Heather hair asked for quiet so she could concentrate. Edith waved that stick again, and stepped forward while the other girl looked intently down at the foot, working with great focus.

Edith took another vial and walked up to Rosemary's side. "This is for your liver...drink it." She instructed, her voice quiet but firm, carrying an unspoken authority that didn't belong to a fourteen year old girl. Because of it, Rosemary nodded slowly and swallowed as the redhead carefully poured the drink down her throat. It tasted absolutely vile.

"Mother is the name of god on the lips of all children." Edith told the older woman, those startling green eyes half lidded and serious. "Alcohol is bad for you, Miss Fields. It's poison. You can't keep drinking it. Your son needs you more than you need it."

Rosemary's eyes flitted over to her son, who was outwardly sobbing with joy as the baffled doctors looked between the woman and their charts. Edith stepped backwards and joined the heather girl, who made a noise of satisfaction as she stepped away from the ankle.

Rosemary sat up and stared. Her foot was straight again. Tentatively, she raised her hands and squeezed them experimentally. They responded perfectly, if slowly thanks to the muggle and magical painkillers she was under.

"You can go home now, you two," Edith said simply. "Take care of yourselves."

Duncan tackled Edith in a hug, babbling joyfully and senselessly. Rosemary found herself smiling, which surprised herself. When was the last time she saw her son smile?

...When was the last time _she_ made him smile?

Rosemary's smile slipped. She remembered when she first drank alcohol. She had lost her husband, and fell into a deep depression. She had taken one glass on a recommendation to try and stave off the pain...but it had only made it worse. She had forgotten her baby, forgotten how much he still needed her.

Well. Not anymore.

 _The Angels sent you_ , Rosemary thought, wishing she had worn her cross as Edith and her friend vanished from the small room. _That's why you were here. This was a miracle and a scolding. I'll do better. No more for me. I swear it on my dear David's grave._

 **% &%&%&%&%&%&**

"How are you holding up?" Edith asked Hannah, who was shaking her head.

"I'm fine." Hannah said, unscrewing her coffee mug and drinking more. "I'm so glad I could fix her. God, look at these hallways..." She looked around at the other impaired, damaged people in the ward. "I can keep going, Edith – can you?"

"Of course," Edith promised with a small smile.

Their next target was a young girl, also having suffered from a car crash that killed the driver. This time, the spine was damaged; she would be relegated to a wheelchair with muggle medicine. Edith had to temporarily clear the room in order for Hannah be able to levitate the victim; in order to reach the spine. While she hadn't broken as many bones as Rosemary, the healing took just as long due to the care needed.

One fifteen minute healing session and a potion later, and the girl was up and doing a cartwheel to the overjoyed astonishment of her parents and brothers.

Hannah was in her element. She was calm, she was focused, she directed what she needed and what had to be done with a calmness that matched Edith's when plotting a potential world takeover plan. When she couldn't heal someone entirely, she took huge swaths of their pain away.

An older man, the sole caretaker of his beloved but simple child, had despaired that she was going to get lost in the system after he died, because he was bleeding internally. Then two strange girls only he seemed to see appeared in his room. One waved a stick over his lungs, and ten minutes later he was breathing without his machine, and a later MRI revealed that the holes in those organs had been mysteriously sealed up.

A twin was panicking because his brother had been shot on the wrong side of town, and was clinging to life. The doctors was afraid to operate because the bullet was close to his heart. Then a heather haired girl appeared, put a hand on his brother's chest, and gently coaxed a drink down his throat. Then her red haired friend stood by his side as the bullet floated out of the body on its own, the injury closing like something out of a Wolverine movie.

His brother would spend the next week bragging that he was going to change his name to Logan.

A star figure skater was at her lowest point, considering euthanasia. A rival had ordered a hit on her, breaking both her legs. Torn away from something she considered an irreplaceable part of her life, she didn't see how she'd be able to go on. Yet again, the two strange girls appeared. One of them gave her a disgusting drink and then cut her legs open – painlessly! The heather girl poured something strange into her legs. The star skater was astonished, when the wounds closed before her eyes (she must have been hallucinating) she could feel her toes. She stood up – and found her legs were perfectly in tact.

She would later ask her boss to chart a routine to "You Raise Me Up" for her return performance.

Edith and Heather determinedly made their way across the floor, stopping at every room not in the midst of surgery. They assisted children, adults and old folk. Eventually, they exhausted themselves, had healed twenty six critically damaged people, and had been working without stop for nearly eight hours. They only noticed this when Edith glanced at the clock at the end of the hall.

"That took longer than I thought," She panted.

"Well, we don't have any assistants." Hannah said, leaning heavily against the wall. "We've used a lot of magic."

Edith smiled back at the jumping, cheering groups that were still in the hall. "It's worth it."

Hannah nodded in agreement. "We should probably get back now." She murmured. "We don't want to get caught."

"Yeah...how dare we help little kids walk again." Edith muttered, before giggling slightly. The two girls scampered into the elevator and made their way out of the building. "Do you think Sirius will be suspicious if I don't wake up on time tomorrow?"

"Call it stress." Hannah said as they walked towards the bus stop. "Or nightmares. Or maybe insomnia. Plenty of reasons. And I don't think he'd be too upset if he discovered why you were out."

"Considering what he told me, he'd be a bit of a hypocrite if he got on my case about sticking to the rules and laws. He, dad and Remus used to play jump rope with them." Edith remarked with a small laugh, tucking her hair behind her ears.

 **% &%&%&%&%&%&%&%**

Edith and Hannah returned to the house as the sun was just peaking out over the horizon. Stepping carefully through the door, Edith let out an enormous yawn. Hannah soon echoed her. "It really is contagious." Hannah chuckled weakly.

"Head home, Hannah." Edith said, squeezing her friend's wrist.

Hannah smiled. Just before she left through the Floo, she glanced back at the leader and said, "We did good by those people, Edith. I'm glad."

"...So am I." Edith said softly.

Once her friend had vanished, Edith stumbled up the stairs, supported slightly by Tristan as she made her way to the Master Bedroom. "Shoulda installed an elevator," She joked.

" _I don't see how that is feasible, Edith._ " Tristan deadpanned.

Edith collapsed on her queen sized bed, falling asleep almost immediately. Tristan let out a small wuff, both out of fondness and amusement. He hopped up onto the bed and pulled the blankets over his master, before lying down by her side and going to sleep himself.

 **End Chapter**

 _ **Edith is building up some good will towards magic, even before she reveals herself. I love how she sets this stuff up ahead of time...I feel like we need more smart, sneaky protagonists in books, like Code Geass. (still need to watch that, sounds awesome)**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	26. Chapter 26

_**Cult Potter**_

 _ **Wanda: Whew! It's so good to be on summer break!**_

 _ **Tyene: If it were just a few degrees cooler, I'd agree with you.**_

 _ **Wanda: Now all I need to do is write a bit more, spend a weekend at Great Wolf Lodge, and go to a beach, and I'll be the happiest, shiniest girl around!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**_

 _ **Chapter 25: Summer Vacation**_

"The Time Turner project...volunteer for a year round experiment sponsored by the Department of Mysteries. Special care required...only certain people will be selected. 'I heard about it from Hermione, I thought you'd be interested.'" Edith read off of the pamphlet had been clipped to Ginny's most recent letter. "Time travel device... That sounds fascinating."

Remus chuckled, knocking back another mug full of coffee before glancing over at her. "You've heard about that? I thought you'd find that interesting."

"...I think I'll submit an application." Edith said, striding towards the Floo.

"Using a Time Turner is incredibly stressful, Edith!" Remus warned his goddaughter. "You should keep that in mind."

"If I only use it for studying." Edith responded, tucking her dark red hair away from her eyes. "C'mon, Remus. I'd get all the rest I could need, more time to spend with my friends, more time to learn, more time to do everything I could want."

Remus looked surprised. Edith shot him a small smile before asking, "You only thought to use it for studying, didn't you?"

The werewolf had the grace to blush. "It was that, or allow your father to drag me into time-travel pranking. I don't think Professor McGonagall would have ever forgiven me for that...or Professor Snape, for that matter."

"I heard all about that." Edith remarked, her pen scraping against the page as she wrote. If only the school would allow it, she would never use quills at all. Those things were _nonsense_. "The professor certainly has a lot of unpleasant memories about that."

"He told you?"

"I asked about my mother; he was the only person who really knew her before I met you. He told me a lot, and gave me some pictures that Hagrid hadn't had access to. Between that and what you told him, I got a good impression of what happened back then."

Remus winced, nervous that this had affected Edith's good opinion of him and Sirius. "Yeah...we were young and foolish back then."

Surprisingly, Edith just giggled and smiled at him. "Everyone's made mistakes in their lives. Sirius said that you were usually the one reigning in their worst instincts."

"In retrospect, I wish I had done more." Remus admitted, cutting up the pancakes and moving them onto the two plates. Sirius was currently at St Mugos for his weekly therapy, so he had eaten already. Just three days and he was already looking leagues healthier than when he had been named a free man. Edith, meanwhile, had slept in once again, having taken another street searching night several hours earlier.

This time, she had located many homeless individuals she had seen before while wandering the streets as a younger child. Having bought several Tardis-tents by mail order, Edith handed them out to the ones who knew her face, while arranging for ambulances to pick up those too sickly for her to handle alone.

"You were the Gryffindor Prefect at the time, right?" Edith inquired lightly.

"Yes," Remus said with a sigh. "I suppose I was afraid that if I came down too hard on them, they wouldn't want to be my friends. I'd been alone most of my life, so that fear usually got the better of me whenever I could be convinced it 'wasn't that serious'." He gave Edith a slightly pleading look. "It's not something I'm proud of."

"Everyone has something they regret." Edith responded, her green eyes flickering slightly at this. With a click of her tongue, she finished off her letter and summoned Missy. "Deliver this to the Department of Mysteries for me, please. It's for the Time Turner Project."

"Absolutely, Mistress Edith." Missy chirped before vanishing with a _crack_.

"Those two elves really like you," Remus noted, referring to Dancia's house elf Dobby who was often seen around the house. His eyes flicked over to the clock. "Edith, shouldn't you be heading for the park now? Miss Greengrass's letter said the meeting would be in ten minutes."

Edith swore and leapt to her feet. "Language," Remus chastised her with a smile.

"Har har. I really need a wristwatch!" Edith said before sprinting out the door. Tristan let out an amused bark before chasing after her.

 _ **~At the Park~**_

"So you got here without much trouble?" Edith asked Daphne, Astoria and Tracey after sitting down on the bench. The warm sunlight soothed her skin and made the entire park seem to glow. This was one of her favourite places to be, no matter what the weather was. There was a swing set nearby, which Luna was trying out. Given the blonde girl's smile and laughter, it was a hit. Ginny was looking around curiously, while Sally and Hermione kept an eye on Luna.

"Well, we got a bit lost initially," Tracey admitted, looking a little embarrassed, "but Sally found us before too long and set us straight." She let out a small sigh before giving Edith a super interested look. The streets in this place are so full of things to look at. Video games, books..."

"If you hadn't been so worried about showing up on time, you'd probably still be back in the heart of London, pawing your way through Victoria's Secret." Daphne noted teasingly. Tracey blushed slightly and glared at her friend. Daphne raised her hands defensively before saying, "I can hardly deny my own fascination. Mundanes certainly have clothes going for them."

Edith chuckled, looking around. "Where's Hannah and the rest?"

"Ron's holding up Hannah's group because he's super interested in the muggle toy shops." Ginny explained, looking both amused and fond at the comment. "He said he wouldn't be too late, he just _had_ to get a better look at some of those things." her smile took on a teasing note. "I think he wants to bring a video camera to the Quidditch World Cup."

"The what?" Edith asked curiously.

"Oh, you haven't heard yet?" Sally's eyes lit up. "It's the finale of the Quidditch season! It'll be the biggest event in the wizard world since the Tri Wizard Tournament! There will be people from all over the world attending to see it!"

A shout caught their attention. It was Ron, Hannah, Flora, Hestia, Neville, Susan, Colin and Cho, having just turned the corner and overheard the talk of the World Cup. Ron, sure enough, was carefully holding a video camera in his hands. Colin had shown him how to wrap the leather strap around his shoulders, but he was still a bit nervous about it getting damaged. Neville was still looking all around him with awe, trying to take in every detail.

"The World Cup is awesome!" Ron enthused. "Dad's taking me and Ginny, I've been asking about this since I was five." He smiled at his tutor and friend. "You should come along, Edith! It'll be like nothing you've ever seen before, even the bouts at school."

"Hmm." Edith meditated on that for a moment. She had figured on spending all her time at home, but she couldn't deny she found the Cup interesting...besides, Sirius had been a Quidditch fan, he'd probably want to go. She'd ask him when he returned from the day's therapy. "Sounds like fun, considering how it's been hyped up for me."

Cho beamed. "Oh, that's wonderful! I don't have to kidnap you to bring you along after all." Despite her dainty appearance, Cho adored Quidditch had had been on the Ravenclaw team ever since the start of her second year.

Edith blanched slightly while Hermione chuckled; as Hannah sat down on the redhead's left the group's bookworm dug through her bag and pulled out a newspaper. "Edith, I was wondering, would you happen to know anything about this?"

The Girl Who Lived leaned towards the headline and smiled. _**"Miracles at the Hospital – Doctors at loss for an explanation. Twenty six in critical condition mysteriously healed.**_ **"** On the front page was a picture from the hospital, with the families in the midst of celebration. "Oh, I don't know – do we know anything Hannah?"

Hannah pressed one hand against her mouth to stifle her giggles. "Maybe," She said. "You should have seen Nick's expression when I told him what I knew."

"Is that good or bad?" Ginny asked as laughter spread through the group of friends.

"He wants to learn to heal too, now." Hannah explained with a fond smile. "He wants to be able to bring people miracles too. That's what he told me."

"That is so nice," Susan said warmly. "He's a good kid, Hannah."

"Always was." Hannah noted. "Nick felt pressured to be a warrior and a fighter, but he was always a bit quiet and gentle. I think he'd make a great healer."

"How old is Phoenix, again?" Edith asked. She hadn't met the boy officially, but they had been introduced over the phone. He sounded nice.

"He's seven." Hannah responded. "Seven and adorable. He likes to think he's more mature and intelligent than he really is."

"Like Flora," Hestia said teasingly.

Flora threw her arms in the air. "You're only a minute older than me! We're twins! When are you ever going to let that go?!"

Ron and Colin both snickered a bit at this. Flora shot them a look that could melt glass, causing both boys to spend a second trying to hide behind each other. Luna giggled at the scene from her swing, along with Hermione.

"I wish we had done a bit more," Hannah said, "but we would have needed more hands to spread the work across."

"You already did a lot." Flora responded. "Those people are going to remember that for years to come. The good will from healing the critically injured among the population is and has always been staggering."

"Well, once I'm sitting in the Minister's chair at the heart of Magical London, I'll have all the hands I need." Edith said with a small smirk. Ginny nodded in agreement. "Of course, at first I'll have to deal with our own internal problems. Once I know everything possible, I'll turn to your aunt, Susan."

Susan nodded. She had spoken to Edith multiple times about ensured support from the useful branches of the Ministry, including the DMLE run by her aunt Amelia. She knew that under the right circumstances, Amelia would be more than happy to throw her hand in with the Girl Who Lived – she hated being stifled by Fudge and unable to truly protect those who needed assistance.

"Did you get my letter including the Time Turner Project?" Ginny asked her best friend slyly.

"Yes, indeed I did. I submitted my application just before I arrived here." Edith responded, leaning back against the bench. "There's so much I can and plan to do with it. Have any of you also submitted to the project?"

"I did," Hermione said. "I found it when I was browsing some Ministry applications with Blaise." At the group's surprised and curious looks, she flushed. "What?" She asked defensively.

"Nothing," Cho said, suppressing her smile. Hermione and Blaise had been spending a lot of time reading together, thanks to shared interests. It was a pity that Hermione's troubles with social skills meant she wasn't understanding the looks Blaise occasionally threw her way.

"I submitted," Ginny volunteered.

"So did we," Daphne added, nodding towards her younger sister. Astoria grinned. "I have this sense we won't be using it for school work?"

"Oh, god no." Edith chuckled, though Hermione pouted slightly at that. "That wouldn't be very inspired, would it? No, I have different ideas, and I'm glad to share them with you at a later time. Now, how about we head back to the house and see about getting those Quidditch tickets?"

 **End Chapter**

 _ **Time Turners are severely underused. Plot points aside, there are a lot of different ways you can use them. This is also Edith's first encounter with the Department of Mysteries, so there's that too.**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	27. Chapter 27

**Cult Potter**

 _ **Wanda: I finally found a way to watch Code Geass, THAT SHOW IS SO F**KING BADASS, EVERYONE SHOULD WATCH IT. (coughs) And I might be in love with Lelouch. Might. Maybe. (coughs again) You can't prove anything. (smiles) I am severely tempted to write a sequel to this story that transports Edith to Britannia. I have to watch the rest of the show first, though.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**_

 _ **Chapter 26: The Quidditch World Cup**_

"You ready to go, Edith?!"

Tristan barked in approval as Edith stood up and twirled in a circle, pleased with how she had dressed. It was a semi formal outfit, given the high profile nature of the Cup; good looking, but it was still possible to run and move around freely without being constricted. It was a _sporting_ event, after all. She was wearing a glittering opal necklace that had been a present from Dancia. Her hair was tied back in a low ponytail with a butterfly clip. "Yes, Sirius! I'll be there in a minute." She called back, walking across her room and picking her wand up off the desktop. Her room had flower print wallpaper, the white curtains allowing golden light to bathe the floor. Edith grabbed her coat off the wall; a coat with embedded basilisk scales shed by Ama. Basilisk scales were spell resistant in a way that only dragon scales could compare to. Sliding it over her shoulders, Edith whistled for Tristan and merrily made her way down the stairwell to the first floor.

Both Sirius and Remus were waiting for her. Sirius, in the two weeks he had been getting therapy, looked as though he had aged backwards by nearly ten years. He had gained enough weight to stop looking like a skeleton, and his face was more animated and lively. It made Edith smile.

"I told you girls needed time to get ready." Sirius told Remus, who rolled his eyes.

"That may be why you haven't gotten a date in a long time," Remus told him. "You're not supposed to notice things like that."

Edith snickered but pretended not to hear it. "So, where are we meeting my friends?"

"At the entrance to the site, in thirty minutes. C'mon, everyone into the Floo. Apparently the site's being borrowed from a muggle camp."

"Really?" Edith asked curiously.

"It's what I've heard," Remus said, looking slightly troubled. He was hoping that the muggles weren't using the area at the moment; or else they'd probably be subject to multiple uses of Obliviate. "They've done this sort of thing in the past."

" _A place with wide open spaces, grass and woods?_ " Tristan barked, eyes sparking. " _You_ are _taking me along, aren't you?_ "

"Of course, you silly puppy." Edith laughed, rubbing him between the ears. "Let's go."

 _ **~Line Break~**_

" _Ah! Clean air! Fresh, forest air!_ " Tristan purred happily, rolling over and over on the ground. Edith knelt down next to him, watching him with amusement while cooing over his adorable side. He didn't show it all that often. " _I haven't realized how much I missed it!_ "

"Hah! If I had known, I would have taken you out to a woods trail sooner." Edith laughed, rubbing his belly as her familiar rolled over again.

" _Can I stay in the woods while you watch the ball be thrown back and forth?_ " Tristan begged. " _Please? I'll be good!"_

Edith laughed. "Oh, alright. Just be sure to come when I call you."

Tristan immediately bolted off to the nearest treeline. Chuckling, Edith straightened up and walked over to where Sirius and Remus were paying for their entrance. Remus had the tent bag slung over his shoulder, talking quietly to the confused and slightly suspicious looking muggle occupying the toll booth. Stretching out, Edith caught up just as they finished handing over the correct amount of muggle money.

"I keep forgetting how the muggle currency works," Sirius admitted ruefully when they stepped through the gate. "His eyes nearly bugged out when I tried to give him galleons."

"Solid gold isn't something muggles pay with out of their pockets," Edith responded with a small smile. "Gold is worth thousands to them. That's why he freaked out."

"Huh," Sirius said, blinking. "Gold, huh..?"

Edith smiled darkly, her mind playing over how over inflation can damage a country's economy. "Yeah. If I ran the gold in my vault to a mundane transfer window, I'd probably become a millionaire overnight. If I did it twice, I'd never have to work a day in my life."

"Should I be concerned about you coasting?" Remus asked with mock seriousness.

His surrogate daughter waved innocently at him. "Oh, don't worry Remus! That isn't the life for me. My mind is too busy. I only rest when I've exhausted the ideas in my head."

Sirius chuckled. "You sound like your mother. Don't run yourself too ragged though, you understand?"

"Of course, padfoot." Edith half lied. Her hand went into her pocket, where she was keeping the letter of acceptance from the Department of Mysteries. She would have her very own Time Turner by the time her fourth year at Hogwarts would begin.

"Edith!" The redhead smiled and jogged towards Cho Chang, who was waving enthusiastically from her family's tent about twenty paces away. Standing next to her were Susan and Hermione, who she had picked up earlier.

"Nice to see you girls. Where are your seats?" Edith asked when she came to a stop. "Where are the others?"

"I talked to Tracey before heading out," Cho responded quickly, "She, Daphne, Blaise and the Carrow girls should be here in another ten minutes. Ginny, Ron and the other twins are already here along with the rest of their family." She pointed down the road. Sure enough, several tents later was a red tent with one of Arthur Weasley's many mundane nicknacks propped up against one of the posts. "We're seated up at the top. It's the perfect viewing for the events!"

Edith glanced down at her ticket. "We're up at the top too; just a few seats away from you too!" She grinned at Susan. "I guess that means you'll be sharing your popcorn after all, Sue!"

Susan stuck her tongue out. "Make me, Potter. It's _my_ popcorn, and _I'm_ going to eat it!" The young pure blood political hopeful had been introduced to that movie snack during a Lord of the Rings marathon Edith had hosted a week and a half ago; and she loved it. According to her, it was a hit with her aunt as well. Ginny and Sally had both suppressed their giggles at the thought of tough, hard as nails Amelia Bones gushing over buttery popcorn.

"Did you see the Beaxbatons girls on your way in?" Hermione asked with a dreamy sigh. While the girl was a bookworm, she did have some affection for clothes. "Those girls certainly know some great seamstresses! I wish our school had more interesting uniforms."

Edith nodded in silent agreement. She didn't care for the school robes either.

"Hey! Hey everyone!"

Edith barely had time to turn around before Sally Anne tacked her best friend in a tight hug, causing the redhead to _wuff_ and pet her on the head. Following right behind her were Flora and Hestia; Hestia was eagerly taking in the pomp and circumstance surrounding them, while Flora looked like she was getting a headache from all the noise.

"Hi, Sally." Edith gently disentangled the dark haired girl from her person.

Sally beamed. "Have you seen the number of people are here?! There are people from all over the world! I want to follow Hermione everywhere and just talk to everyone about it, it looks so amazing!"

"We ran into the Patil twins on our way here," Daphne said by way of explanation, giving Sally an amused look, like she thought the muggleborn was being adorable. Edith remembered what Tristan had said about them a while back and forced down a giggle. "Sally started bombarding them with questions about India magic schools when she heard they had been taking Duelling as children."

"I had to pull her away before poor Padma could get overwhelmed." Tracey chuckled. "Pavarti looked happy to discuss it, though. I think you've made a new friend, Sally."

"That's nice to hear." Edith said with a smile.

"People misunderstand Pavarti and her friend Lavender," Sally remarked with a sad sigh. "They like to gossip, but they aren't stupid. People just assume they are."

"Well, we know better now don't we?" Edith remarked with a smile, though she was internally displeased to hear the two girls had been assigned boneheaded stereotypes. Sally and Tracey both nodded in agreement.

"Where's Hermione?" Blaise asked, looking around. He had come here with his mother, who had disappeared to talk to some of her 'oversea friends'. Blaise had quickly decided that he didn't want to know, especially since his mother had 'just married' a corrupt British nobleman. "Is everyone here?"

Flora thumbed a finger over Edith's shoulder. The redhead turned around to see Hermione talking with Ron, Neville, Colin and Ginny over at the Weasley tent. With them were the 'Terror Twins', who had an expression that warned those who knew them well that they were plotting something. Arthur, meanwhile, was helping Sirius and Remus set up their own tent.

"It looks like it, Blaise. Shall we go join them?" Edith suggested. Cho gave her mother a hug and muttered, 'hang out with my friends'. The friendly looking older woman gave her consent, and with that, the group made their way over to the Weasley tent.

Ginny also gave Edith a hug the moment she clapped her eyes on the older girl, who chuckled and ruffled her hair affectionately. Ron smiled nervous and waved hello. "New jacket?" He asked his tutor, gesturing to the glittering red and black coat.

"Yeah. Custom made." Edith said, before giving the boy a knowing smile. "Would you like to put an order in? It won't cost much, if anything."

"It looks pretty cool," Ron said, eyeing the coat with speculation before glancing back in the direction of his father. "Uh, I'll get back to you. Dad still doesn't like us buying extra stuff."

Edith hummed in understanding while making a mental note to ask her vault handler Griphook to make a secret transfer into the Weasley's account again; perhaps a bit more than last time. She had a fairly cordial relationship with the goblin warrior, since she went into the bank fairly often to look at her parents Map Notebooks; Griphook once told her that she was the first witch he had met who'd bothered to remember his name.

"We've got seats at the top of the building." Fred said. "Perfect for our business! It's close to Ludo Bagman, too." George added as the twins swept to Edith's right side.

"Bagman has a famous gambling problem," Edith noted. "Is that your 'plan'? You know you could just ask me."

"We do know, Miss Potter Moneybags," Fred said teasingly.

"But we're up to something we'd rather not have mum know about yet." George confirmed.

"That's why we're not asking yet." Fred winked.

Edith smirked. "I understand." She'd seen some of Fred and George's 'creations', including the repurposed audio wiretap that served as her eyes and ears at Hogwarts. Molly didn't approve because she thought that many of their planned objects could be dangerous in the wrong hands; the fact that Fred and George often weren't particularly careful probably fuelled her concerns. The woman was a loving mother, but she could be rather overbearing. Her twins were geniuses, but she didn't want them to pursue their talents, instead hoping they would enter the Ministry.

As if there would be any bigger death to a good, interesting life than _that_.

Fred and George were essentially her arms dealers. Depending on how their betting went this night, she'd give them whatever they needed. Likely they were planning to open a joke shop. Of course, some jokes could indeed be dangerous...

The group of friends and family scaled the various stairwells to the top of the stadium structure, where they found their seats open and waiting. Ginny cut through the group and sat at Edith's right, with Sally on the left. Ginny handed her an Ireland flag.

"You're certain they'll pull it off?" Edith asked her friend.

Ginny smiled. "They've got the best Chasers in the league."

"The Bulgarians have Viktor Krum though." Sally pointed out. "He's a legend in the Quidditch community, even though he's only been at it for a year."

"The Snitch only hands you a hundred and fifty points and ends the game." Ginny rejoined. "The Chasers could rack up enough points to put the Bulgarians in the hole before Krum finds the Snitch. And he has to worry about the beaters."

"The best Chasers, and the best Seeker." Edith mused. She took out the glass knight chess piece from the set Remus had given her as a belated birthday present and turned it over in her hands. "They both have different advantages. Let's see who uses their resources the best, shall we?"

Ginny and Sally nodded reluctantly, turning their attention to the mass.

Edith only partially listened to the opening speech; her eyes flickered over to the Ministry Booth. Fudge was there, though he probably wasn't going to stick around...he only showed up at events like this for the publicity, he'd proven that much with the Dementor fiasco last year. Bagman was a bench down, taking bets from Fred and George. And up in one of the towers was the seat reserved for Barty Crouch, head of International Affairs, who's seat was curiously absent except for a House Elf.

 _How strange,_ Edith mused, _to get a seat for the Quidditch event of the season, and then not arrive?_

The canon blast that started the race snapped her out of her thoughts. The two teams flew into action; it was a testament to how much Ron, Neville and Blaise loved Quidditch that they were only slightly distracted by the enthusiastic dancing of the Veela cheerleaders down near the pitch. Edith glanced down at them several times herself.

Ginny had been right about the Ireland Chasers – they were absolutely dominating the initial rounds. The Bulgarian beaters were really slaking at their jobs, focusing on the opposing seeker instead of trying to stop the Chasers. The Veela were getting pretty pissed by the halfway point. Sally was pretty put out by how badly her favourite team was doing, though Krum was showing off his talent pretty well along the way.

 _He certainly earned his reputation!_ Edith thought as her eyes followed him. The brooms were moving so fast that there were binoculars handed out with slow vision so watchers could see the events move by move. Edith had only used hers for a few minutes before realizing that she was missing the action – it was going by.

"This is so awesome!" Susan shrieked from somewhere a few seats down.

"Look at Krum go!", was Ron's contribution.

Edith let out a loud cheer going along with it. The sheer energy filling the pitch was making her dizzy with adrenaline. What else could give this feeling? How could one maintain a clear head while experiencing something like this? Could power give this to her? It would be almost impossible to think carefully when experiencing something like this.

Fred and George were both grinning. Their plans were going magnificently. They had already seen Krum noticing the Snitch.

A few minutes later, Krum did indeed catch the Snitch, causing the crowd to once again going insane. Ginny leapt up and shrieked joyfully, while Ron buried his head in his hands and groaned. Sally laughed and conceded defeat gracefully, standing and waving alongside her friends. Edith remained seated, before feeling a twitch. Frowning, she reached for her wand and yanked it forwards. Looking over her shoulder, she saw a small black cloaked figure quickly retreating. Frowning, Edith stood up, muttered 'be right back' at Sirius and pushed her way across the floor to follow the shadow.

After a few feet, the black figure vanished into the top box. A nearby witch yelped and cursed, complaining that someone had pushed her over. Edith's brow furrowed. _That was Barty Crouch's box. ...I wonder..._

" _Edith!_ " Remus called. Shaking her head, puzzled and wary, Edith took a few steps backwards while still watching the top box before turning away and hurrying back to rejoin her friends. "What are you looking at?"

"Thought someone was trying to pickpocket me." Edith said.

 _ **~Line Break~**_

" _Don't_ tell your mother you've been gambling," Arthur told his twin sons wearily.

"Of course we won't, dad," Fred and George said in concert, both laughing. Edith rolled her eyes affectionately before she felt something being draped over her shoulders. Turning around, she found herself facing Ginny, who's eyes were bright with excitement. "We did it! ...Come on, Edith, dance with me!"

Edith blinked. Ginny smiled and stretched out her hands. After a second of thought, uncertain, Edith reached out and took them. The other redhead laughed, jumping slightly before leading Edith into a sort of Irish jig. Edith found herself stumbling over her own feet, but Ginny kept her on her feet and moving her on.

Sirius and Remus watched the two girls dance. Sirius barked out a laugh, before saying, "They're pretty cute, aren't they?"

Remus glanced over at his friend and said, "I think it's a bit more important than that." Sirius looked at him in confusion, eyes slightly muddled by firewhiskey. Remus shook his head and said, "Never mind. It was just a thought of mine."

Colin, Dancia, and Blaise were all jumping in a circle, chanting about Krum's final move. Daphne was talking to Hermione about Quidditch technique. Sally was standing just outside, happily discussing Ireland's victory with Padma and Pavarti. Ron was gushing over Krum in general, earning some laughter from his siblings.

Then Tristan burst through the tent flap, hackles raised. Edith and Ginny both stopped as he ran over to them, eyes blazing dangerously. "What is it, Tristan?" She asked in concern.

" _The Death ones are here!_ " Tristan barked out. " _They're setting fires in the south!_ "

"Death ones? Death Eaters?" Edith demanded, raising her voice so her friends and family could hear her. Quickly, they surrounded her, Daphne's eyes narrowing when she saw the eerie glowing light at Tristan's familiar collar. Having her own familiar bond, she had an inkling that whatever it was, it wasn't good.

"What's happening?" Sirius asked Edith, eyes becoming clear with concern.

"Death Eaters are attacking the Cup." Edith said. "Tristan says they're coming from the south."

"Death Eaters?!" Remus demanded.

"There are families here!" Sally cried. "Families with little children, they're going to be in the middle of this!"

"Would they hurt-?!" Hermione started, aghast, while Daphne shook her head.

"Mia, Death Eaters gain their mark by murdering the innocent. There is nothing they won't do!" The blonde said sternly.

"We have to do something." Ginny said heatedly.

Edith looked back at Tristan and asked seriously, "How many of them are there?"

" _I don't know. They were in a group. Enough for a pack. They're starting to set fires,_ " Tristan growled. Sure enough, Edith was hearing distant cries of alarm and was starting to smell smoke.

"Then they're in a small circle? They haven't branched out? They aren't expecting resistance." Edith mused, a small smile slowly spreading across her face. Ginny and Sally, who had seen it once before, both smirked.

"Edith?" Sirius asked. "What are you-?"

Edith straightened up. "Everyone, get your parents, your siblings. Tell them to run for the woods. Tell them to get to the entrance and floo for Amelia Bones. Tell her there's a riot starting, and we need reinforcements. We're going to try and hold them off with shoot and run style. Everyone, come to me, I'll give more instructions when we get closer."

Her eyes had changed again. There was power there, and the adults who would have protested instead found themselves agreeing. "Let's go!"

 _ **~Line Break~**_

There were thirty Death Eaters, bunched together, mostly drunk but hyped up by 'rumours' that Voldemort was close to returning. Barty Crouch Jr had escaped from his confinement at his father's hands to assist the one he considered his true parental figure, the poor mad child. And he was spreading the news through the reactivation of the Dark Mark.

They had already burned about a quarter of the cup space, leaving dozens dead without facing any resistance. The British had been thoroughly conditioned to fear their appearance, and the foreigners were too confused and taken off guard to march a proper resistance. So they moved on unchallenged...until they reached a tent where a small muggle born girl was trying to awaken her badly injured mother who had passed out from blood loss. Amused, the leader Evan Parkinson levelled his wand at the little filth...when out of nowhere a stunner slammed him straight in the chest, with enough force to throw him backwards several feet.

The fires they had started – the only light source, since it was the middle of the night – were abruptly extinguished. Yelling in shock, the death eaters fired off spells in random directions. There was a short pause, before another volley of spells flooded from every single direction.

Lines blasted through the ground, throwing rocks in the air and flinging them towards the group. The stones struck skulls and arms, causing cracks and throwing people to the ground. Directly following this were more stunners, and blasting curses.

Then, bone breaking curses.

When the Death Eaters regained some of their equilibrium, they tried to attack their unseen adversaries, only to find they had already scattered. This was proved by another flurry of attacks from entirely different vantage points. This went on for nearly thirty minutes, leaving six of the Death Eaters concussed and unconscious.

In the chaos, a dillusionment charm was thrown up around the little girl and her mother. Hannah Abbott quickly knelt by the little girl's side and said, "Where's your mother hurt? Are you hurt?"

The girl looked up at her with teary, hopeful eyes. "S-She's cut on her shoulder and her leg!" She said pleadingly.

"Okay. Hold this for me;" Hannah said, giving the little girl a vial. The girl nodded and listened to the budding healer's careful instructions as the other shadowy figures lead the Death Eaters away. "We need to start with the bleeding..."

Evan was swearing up a storm, his drunkenness impairing his judgment and ability to aim. Then all of a sudden harsh white lights surrounded them.

"DMLE! LOWER YOUR WEAPONS OR WE WILL USE LETHAL FORCE!" Amelia Bones thundered, surrounded by two troops worth of Aurors.

Only two Death Eaters, including one estranged Fredrick Davis, fired back and got themselves killed. Emerging from the shadows, rejoining the Aurors and pointing out the ones they had downed during their own attacks, were Edith and her friends. Edith then brought Auror Kingsley over to Hannah and little Leona Darkstalker and her injured mother. The two were quickly brought to St Mugos.

 _ **~Two Days Later~**_

The platform at the Ministry was crowded around by throngs of people, fussing and talking among themselves. Eventually Amelia Bones, who was walking ahead of Fudge who looked like he'd rather be just about anywhere else.

"I'm sure all of you have heard by now about the riot at the end of the Quidditch World Cup. They were lead by a group of radical former Death Eaters who had previously escaped justice. Now, they are all sitting in cells waiting to be taken to Azkaban." Amelia said. "I regret to inform you that we have had twelve casualties. However, the deaths and damages may have been much worse if it hadn't been for the incredible courage of a group of children, nine of whom are with me today."

Stamping and whistling filled the air, calling out for these mysterious heroes.

"These nine brave students are being granted the Order of Merlin, Third Class, for taking initiative in a deadly situation, which saved may lives – including several children." Amelia smiled. "I would like to welcome them to the stage now."

"Sally Anne Perks!" The young girl had to be pushed on stage, being horribly crowd shy. Kingsley gently lead her over to Amelia, who handed her the medal. Sally stammered that she was 'doing the right thing' before standing off to the side.

"Ron Weasley!" The redhead was equally red at the ears as he walked on stage. His mother joyfully called out, "That's my boy!" Ron jutted his chin out when he heard that, smiling brightly as he knew he had done something his mother was proud of.

"Daphne Greengrass!" Astoria clapped and cheered. Her sister had told her to go ahead and call the Aurors, out of sisterly protectiveness. She was proud of her sister and how brave she was.

"Hermione Granger!" Hermione flushed and tucked her hair behind her ears as Amelia pinned the medal to her shirt. Her father, a former Marine, had nearly wept with pride.

"Ginny Weasley!" The redhead also had to be pushed on stage, protesting the whole way that she didn't need a medal for doing the right thing.

Amelia paused and smiled softly down at the next name. "Susan Bones!" Her brother's daughter walked onto the stage, looking shy but able to walk unlike Sally. Amelia had never been so proud in all her life.

"Flora Carrow!" Flora walked onstage, feeling overwhelmed. she was being awarded for doing a good deed. There was something she never thought she'd experience - a final and perfect rebuke to her insane parents.

"Hannah Abbot!" Little Leona Darkstalker probably cheered the loudest when the Healer hopeful got her medal.

"And finally...Edith Potter! Order of Merlin, Second Class!" The screams grew the loudest as the redhead walked on stage, her expression mostly neutral though a small, happy smile on her face. She paused near the Amelia, turned towards the crowd and waved. The cheers grew so loud the stage shook, which caused Fudge to wince and looked nervously at the young girl, unnerved by her popularity. "For saving lives, for organizing the defence."

"The Girl Who Lived!" The crowd chanted. "Let's hear it for the Girl Who Lived!"

Edith waved again, her red hair blowing cinematically in the breeze. Fudge frowned and shifted from one foot to the other. "I don't like this at all," he muttered. "Maybe I should talk to Dolores about monitoring the Tri Wizard Tournament...or at least send _someone_."

 **End Chapter**

 _ **Ron is thrown a bone, so when the Tri Wizard Tournament shows up, he won't fall into his usual pigeonhole of being an idiot! I always wondered why someone didn't fight back against those drunk death eaters during the Cup. I mean, they all have the equivalent of a loaded and deadly weapon! I mean REALLY! The families I understand, they don't want their kids getting caught up, but NOBODY? Sports fans would have flipped their lids if some drunk idiots had broken up the highest point of their series!**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	28. Chapter 28

_**Cult Potter**_

 _ **Wanda: I apologize for the wait, my lovely readers, but I had yet another run in with Writer's Block on this story. (Tyene throws Block out a window in the background) That, and Code Geass has been stealing my attention and giving me all sorts of new ideas and it's all making my head spin. But never fear, I have no plans to abandon this story.**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Obviously.**

 _ **Interlude 2: The Tri Wizard Tournament**_

"So, are any of you going to tell me what this secret government event is?" Edith asked slyly. She, Ginny, Sally and Daphne were in the middle of the group walking onto the nine and three quarters platform. Ron, Hermione, Astoria and Neville were leading the way, with Dancia, Hannah, Susan, Luna, Padma and Pavarti holding up the back. The mixed background group had met up for the train to school pretty much at the same time, and decided to board the train together. Colin, his younger brother Dennis and Hannah's Hufflepuff friend Megan Jones had gone on the train ahead of them, along with Megan's young cousin Graham Pritchard.

Megan was a new addition to Edith's 'force', having been introduced by Hannah earlier in the summer as a childhood friend of hers. The young soldier hopeful, a half blood from a Sargent muggle father and a rebellious pure blood mother, was very realistic, practical snarky and generally not afraid of anything. She also had quite the temper; she and Ron could probably bond very well on that. Ginny was secretly plotting to try and play matchmaker between the pair.

Megan liked Edith's calm and sneaky side, while Edith recognized that Megan would make for a great enforcer, and likely an advisor she could trust to be honest with her regardless of circumstances.

"Oh, come on Ron! It's not like we're going to give you up to them!" Susan said encouragingly, when Ron swelled up a bit trying to keep the event a secret – Percy had told him about it in his usual pompous manner thanks to his young brother's Order of Merlin win. Ron had written a very irate letter a few days ago about how the very aloof and self interested Percy had suddenly started acting buddy-buddy with him the moment after he returned home with the award. "If you don't tell them, I will!"

"I don't know a lot!" Ron protested. "Something about a tournament being revived. They're going to hold it at Hogwarts."

"They're calling it the Tri Wizard Tournament." Ginny added.

"Hm." Edith said contemplatively. "I read about that in one of my books. It was a famous bloodsport, a gauntlet of dangerous challenges for the best and brightest students of their time to attempt." She eyed her friends curiously. "In the end, it was frozen after two thirteen year old boys entered out of desperation for money, and died together."

Hermione balked. "And they're bringing it back?" She exclaimed. "They put it under for a reason!"

"Hermione, it's Hogwarts tradition to put us all in horrible danger!" Parvati responded cheerfully, causing her twin sister to shoot her a 'my god, you are serious' look.

Despite what people expected of them – that Parvati was flightly and empty headed, while Padma was the cool and sensible one – it was a bit of a misconception. Parvati was an adrenaline junky who was also fond of fashion – something that could also be said about her best friend for life (and quite possibly more, though it couldn't be certain yet) Lavander Brown. Meanwhile Padma was intelligent but prone to fighting dirty when pushed – as Theodore Nott had found out the hard way when he insulted her Indian heritage.

"Where I come from, that's not considered something a school should be proud of." Hermione said with a frown.

"What can I say? The Medieval ages had looser protection standards." Susan joked.

"...This is the twentith century." Dancia asserted in confusion.

"Not here it isn't!" Sally crowed. "Have you _seen_ the Ministry? It's a crooked castle straight out of King Arthur. And they think they're _advanced_ compared to muggles!" The entire group burst out laughing loudly at the thought; their visits to the muggle world had revealed many, many innovations that the wizard counterpart didn't even have a concept of.

Edith then said, "Come on; we can laugh more on the train. We're going to miss it at this rate!"

The redhaired girl who lived lead her friends on board the train to Hogwarts, heading to the halfway point of the train where several compartments were still completely empty. Dragging her trunk in and placing it on the rack above their heads, Edith collapsed into the seat next to the window, smiling and petting Tristan as her loyal guard dog curled up around her feet. Ginny, Hannah, Sally, and Susan all pressed in to join her.

They were all experimenting with a new magic this year.

Edith absently reached for her neck and gently brushed her fingers against the Time Turner hanging on a gold chain around her neck. The letter of acceptance from the Department of Mysteries urged her to 'experiment' and 'use her imagination' but to 'remember caution' when it came to this miracle of a magic machine. Ginny, Hannah, Sally and Susan were the others who had taken it, along with Hermione.

Edith had great plans for the Time Turner. With it, she could rest, plot, think and experiment as much as she wanted. She'd have all the time she'd ever need. The threat of paradox, while dangerous, it could be realized that a paradox would not occur if her past self didn't know who she was looking at. If there were masks and coats involved, that could be done.

"The Tri Wizard Tournament," Ginny ruminated. "Maybe some day I'll enter it."

"Do you really think that's wise?" Sally asked, glancing aside at the redhead. "The whole overblown mess sounds like more trouble than it's worth."

"It would be a great way to test what I'm capable of," Ginny responded.

Hannah snorted lightly and shook her head, "Well, rather you than me. Edith? What do you think?"

Edith chuckled, rubbing Tristan between the ears. "I think I'll pass. Sirius and Remus would never allow it, and I don't care for that sort of attention. There are other ways for me to assess what kind of power I possess."

"Like taking over the world?" Susan suggested, smirking.

"Taking over Europe." Edith corrected. "Then I'd take over the rest of the world, benevolently, when they see what I can offer them."

"And what might happen to them if they cross you," Sally added.

"Only for the worst of them. But yes, I don't appreciate having my trust abused," Edith agreed. Tristan let out a low growl at the thought.

"Well, if one of the schools joining us for the tournament is within Europe, we'll be having a very interesting and useful year at school, won't we?" Ginny offered. Edith smiled quietly back at her, the sort of smile that let her friends know that she was plotting something.

The train arrived on schedule, and Edith and her friends took the rain lashed boats into school – it was pouring by that evening, much to Parvati and Lavender's joint annoyance. Hermione took pity on them and assisted with the drying charms once they were inside the castle. The friends broke up and went to their varying tables, watching the new crop of first years being brought into the building. After a few names went by, some interesting individuals showed up...

"Darkstalker, Leona!" "HUFFLEPUFF!"

Hannah clapped and cheered as the slender, dark skinned and dark haired girl rushed over to the yellow table, only to slow down and shuffle nervously as she approached her heroine. Susan just waved and grinned, scooting over to make some space for the child. Leona lit up at this and sat down next to Hannah, blushing but smiling hopefully at the older girl.

"MacDonald, Natalie!" "GRYFFINDOR!"

Edith raised an eyebrow at the young girl. The brown haired, blue eyed eleven year old was skinnier than was strictly healthy, and had a very tired look in her eyes. Honestly, she was reminded of herself at six or seven, constantly exhausted and worn down but still standing with determined purpose. She watched as Natalie made her way over to the Gryffindor table, where Colin and Dennis both quickly made room for her. Maybe that girl was someone to look out for.

"Pritchard, Graham!" "SLYTHERIN!"

Megan whooped and yelled her cousin's name as he got up and walked over to his new house. Edith smiled and waved him over; Megan had talked about her cousin with equal parts exasperation and affection, always saying he was too smart for his own good. Graham had slate grey hair and blueish green eyes that reminded her of an ocean in a storm. He was very slender as well, almost girlish looking in his frame, but he walked with purpose.

"Welcome to Slytherin, newbie," Ginny said playfully as Graham sat on Edith's left. "You're Megan's little cousin, right?"

"Yeah." Graham said listlessly. "You must be the first Weasley in ten generations to go into Slytherin. Ginny."

"Guilty as charged. And you probably already know Edith."

Graham tilted his head slightly to look up at Edith. "I know who people say you are, but do I know who you _are_? No, I don't think so."

Edith smiled slightly. "I like you. Yes, I am Edith, but I'm not the Edith that most people think they know. I'll introduce you to some other friends of mine after dinner." She nodded at the precarious stack of ice cream scoops. "I hope you like sweets, because Ron's at the Gryffindor table and we can't possibly eat these all on our own."

Graham's only response was a small grin.

About halfway through dinner, Dumbledore called for order. Edith was fascinated by what Graham had achieved – in just twenty minutes, he had started a sweet, amiable conversation with Lilian Moon – something that had taken Ginny and Astoria three months to achieve. Perhaps they had softened her up, but the white haired girl seemed very receptive to Graham.

For an eleven year old, he could speak in a very smart, knowing way.

"For this year, Hogwarts will be home to some very special guests. First, from France, may I welcome the Lovely Ladies of the Beaubaxton Academy of Magic! With their Headmistress, Madame Maxine!"

Everyone looked down the hall – two other tables had been set up for the new arrivals on either side, with the Great Hall having expanded somewhat to accommodate the increased number of students. The massive double doors swung open to admit a large number of beautiful young women, all dressed in lovely blue outfits as they walked – or danced – down the hall and over to their table. Among them Edith picked out a Veela near the head of the pack; a serious but smiling older girl with shimmering blonde hair.

 _An all girls school from France,_ Edith thought with some admiration as the girls sat down. The massive Headmistress – she must have some giant blood in her, to be that tall – took her place at the head table, while her students made themselves comfortable. _Fascinating. I hope I can make some friends there._

"Now our friends from the North, the hardened lads from Drumstrang and their Headmaster, Igor Karkeroff!"

The all boys school came in next. Edith let out a small noise of surprise when she saw Viktor Krum, Quidditch Champion, among them. _I didn't think he was still in school, given his achievements with the Bulgarian team. Also fascinating._ Ron looked like he might faint on the other side of the room, earning a giggle from Ginny.

Once the Drumstrang students were settled, Dumbledore moved onto the topic at hand...waving a hand over the golden jewelled case, which melted down to reveal a stately goblet, which immediately erupted into blue and purple fire. Noises of awe broke out across the entire building.

"The Goblet of Fire will be surrounded by an Age Line, to prevent anyone under the age of seventeen from entering the tournament." Dumbledore waited for the complaints to die down before continuing. "It will accept one entrance per student, but be warned – one you enter the tournament, there is no going back. The entrances will be accepted every evening for the next few days; there will be a teacher nearby to observe."

"I wish you all good luck."

 **End Chapter**

 _ **A bit on the slow side, I apologize, it's the writer's block. Things will - obviously - get more interesting next chapter, because Edith will be making some friends, and testing out her Time Turner to see its effects on her. And then her name comes out of the Goblet. Upon rereading that book, I'm honestly stunned that Harry didn't take the whole 'I'm in a deadly tournament that seventeen year olds barely survive, holy**_ **crap _I need to strap in and get to work' mentality to being dropped into that death trap...he's kind of apathetic to it...it drove me nuts to be honest._**

 ** _Read and Review please!_**


	29. Chapter 29

_**Cult Potter**_

 ** _Me: I'm back everyone...! (crickets chirp and people shoot me annoyed looks) And I'm very, very sorry. Gundam happened. Specifically, Gundam SEED and Gundam Wing happened._**

 ** _Edith: And now you're obsessed with Athrun Zala and Duo Maxwell as well as Lelouch...how can a girl compete?_**

 ** _Me: (turns red) I'm not OBSESSED. And I haven't forgotten and you aren't playing second fiddle. I just...! Got distracted. and had a bit of writer's block. Okay?!_**

 ** _Edith: (deadpan) I'm waiting to take over the world. Pray you don't make me wait much longer._**

 ** _Me: (gulps) Yes ma'am_**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

 _ **Chapter 28: The Fourth Champion**_

"So these are the gardens?" Fleur asked her two guides curiously, stepping among the flowers. Gabrielle was right at home, gleefully chasing a fairy that had been attracted to the greenhouse. "It's quite extensive."

"Well, Herbology is an important subject in our curriculum," Edith Potter explained, gesturing to the other greenhouses which could be seen from out the window of the one they were in. The redhead had approached Fleur and some of her friends earlier that morning. She said she couldn't help but notice they looked a little lost, and offered to give them a tour of the premises. Fleur had been slightly confused – she had thought she had seen the girl just a moment ago, talking to some of the Drumstrang students – but Edith's companion Sally had explained that they had a friend who looked similar to her, named Ginny.

Fleur had known a bit about Edith's 'legend', such as it was, once she and her family had arrived in Britain. Edith's recent win of an Order of Merlin had been in the papers for several days.

Fleur had expected a girl who was arrogant, who expected everyone to know about her 'greatness'. She had expected a girl who was certain of her superiority, having been the youngest person to ever bring down a Dark Lord. She had expected everything...except what she had gotten.

Instead of being the worst aspect of a child star, Edith was humble and self deprecating. She wasn't above joking around with her friends or poking fun at the name she had been given, and she treated Fleur with respect and curiosity, since she had never been outside her home country before. She asked the foreign students a lot about their school, what it offered, what their favourite aspect of it was. Fleur, who had been warned by her father about Britain's superior attitude towards its schooling, had been pleasantly surprised.

Yes, the Veela hybrid had taken a liking to this friendly, mysterious waif, and her friends. Sally Anne Perks expressed some knowledge of French pop culture, and went out of her way to make a homesick Gabrielle feel at home. Which was part of the reason they were in the Greenhouses right now – Gabrielle, who loved flowers and plants of all kinds, had asked if there was a garden.

"Are there any carnivorous flytraps?" Gabrielle asked enthusiastically, after Fleur's friend Maisie gently pulled her away from the Devil's Snare she had been oogling.

Edith's brow furrowed. "I'm not sure, though I think Neville planted something like that recently." Glancing at Fleur, she explained, "Neville's the herbology ace in my year; he knows more about the subject than anyone else I've met, aside from Professor Sprout."

"I think Graham might displace him there, with the interest he was showing in the previous lesson," Sally commented.

"I doubt it, if only because Graham is morbid and interested in all things dangerous," Edith commented.

Gabrielle's eyes sparked curiously; she, too, was interesting the the occult and the morbid despite her bright and cheery personality. Unfortunately, that meant she didn't have a lot of friends back at home. Though maybe here, she'd get lucky!

"This school is fairly interesting looking," Fleur admitted as they returned to the stone stairwell to the school. "Do you like it here?"

"Oh yeah. Most of the time, anyway," Edith said with a light shrug.

"Most of the time?" Maisie enquired.

"Sometimes, things around here can get out of hand," Edith responded by way of explanation. "I'm sure you've heard the rumour that one of our teaching positions is cursed by now?"

"I did," The brown haired French girl confirmed. "Though I thought it was just a joke. Surely the teachers would have been able to remove a hex if there was one."

"So goes common knowledge," Edith agreed enigmatically.

Fleur's curiosity regarding this girl rose further at this. She seemed to be hinting that not all was right in Albus Dumbledore's paradise, which ran contrary to what everyone surrounding the man always parroted. Her father had little love of the man, saying that the Headmaster liked to meddle in others' affairs. He also said that Dumbledore's 'meddling' often brought about upheaval and left damage in its wake – sometimes minor, other times serious. Her parents would have assumed that Edith, having been essentially a ward of the state, would have been cajoled and programmed to repeat the praises of the country that treated her as their hero.

If they thought that, it seemed that Edith had them fooled. While she hardly had a _visible_ or _vocal_ cross word to say about them, a few quiet, off handed comments – like this one – implied that the 'golden girl' might not be so golden...or so loyal to the idea of Britain's 'paradise'.

Fleur had always loved a good mystery, and Edith seemed to be embodying that right now – the waif who was much more than met the eye, playing those around her for fools. Clearly she warranted further investigation.

Maisie seemed to like her, which was another bookmark in Fleur's good side. Maisie Goodman was her best friend since childhood, an incorrigible troublemaker who nonetheless saw Fleur for who she really was, free of prejudice and expectation of her Veela blood. The two were all but sisters; if Maisie liked someone, it was likely that Fleur would appreciate their presence as well.

"Dinner's going to be soon," Edith said, breaking Fleur out of her thoughts. "Have you had much British food before? I know an elf in the kitchens, if you don't care for anything on the menu I'll see if we can get some specialties on the side."

She smiled warmly as Maisie, Gabrielle and the two other girls with them cheered. _Yes,_ Fleur thought, _this girl definitely warrants further investigation._

 _ ****~Elsewhere~****_

"A Chamber of Secrets? Truly?"

"Strange but true." The redhaired girl smiled disarmingly at Viktor Krum, but her eyes sparked of mischief. She was holding back some information – she had probably been told to, given what they were speaking about – and it seemed to amuse her to make him think about it. "I've seen the entrance, and it's straight out of Gothic Horror. I wonder if the great Salazar Slytherin was an over-emotional gothic teenager at some point in his life."

"Edith! Is that any way to talk about our historical House leader?" The other redhead – firey tempered and spirited as a wild mare – chastised her friend, though she was grinning too.

"Surely he wouldn't begrudge me speculation, Ginny?" Edith Potter laughed, a warm and inviting sound, but Viktor was constantly distracted by the eyes. The eyes that new so much. The eyes that were old, and had wisdom and knowledge that didn't belong to a normal teenage girl. "He's been gone for so long, and the historical records are constantly contradicting each other!"

"If only he'd kept a diary," The young boy next to her deadpanned; he jumped slightly when his cousin – the tall, pretty, and sharp-tonged Megan, who had introduced herself to Viktor by punching out one of his sleazy classmates who had tried to grope her – burst into snickers at the thought.

Viktor spared a chuckle at the thought himself. Unlike the first few students he'd met here, Edith was willing to joke about her history. Everyone else treated it as if it were reverent myth that deserved nothing but worship. If they were any stiffer or prideful about it, they'd be statues. Having been stuck between them and the fangirls – god, they were _everywhere_ , no matter where he went, how was a man supposed to get some peace and quiet? - at first had caused Viktor to prepare to write this whole event off as a catastrophe.

Mercifully, Edith and her friends had come and rescued him from the gaggle – Megan had fired off some choice words at Bulstrode and Parkinson that sent the pair scurrying, while Edith politely offered to show Viktor and some of his fellow students around 'so they wouldn't get lost, or surprised by the moving staircases'.

Edith tried a couple jokes before she got her finger on Viktor's sense of humor, and played to it with gusto whenever the staircases moved beneath their feet. Emmanuel was certainly a fan of her so far, while Pablo wasn't quite sure what to make of her. Viktor liked Edith, but he had a sense that she was holding parts of herself back – whether she was playing a part, or simply not comfortable stating her true feelings, he wasn't sure. The only reason he was sure of this was his ability to read people in crowds, something you couldn't help but develop if you're a celebrity and constantly in such situations.

Megan Jones and Ginny Weasley were also fairly interesting individuals. Ginny was clearly quite attached to Edith, loyal to her friends, friendly to newcomers, and had enough wild spirit in her for ten girls back home. Megan Jones was someone Viktor wouldn't mind taking to the mid-tournament dance – she was blunt, snarky, fearlessly honest and was only mildly impressed by his Quidditch qualifications.

Her little cousin Graham picked up on some of her habits; Viktor couldn't help but find a little boy calling people 'imbeciles' extremely amusing...especially when those he was insulting were usually several feet taller than him. The boy could probably use a better mind-to-mouth filter, but most of that could probably be lain at his immaturity.

"Did you see the mighty monster inside?" Emmanuel asked Edith, with a tone that suggested he was teasing her or expected her to be joking.

Edith smiled brilliantly. "What's the scariest thing you've ever suddenly stumbled across? A large spider? A snake? I might have turned the corner on a basilisk once."

"You're kidding!"

"Nope, she's not...though I wish she was." Megan said sourly. "Two weeks wasted as a garden statue is not my idea of a good vacation!"

"How'd you escape it?" Pablo asked, awed that this kids had tangled with a monster like that and lived to tell the tale.

"A friend of mine guessed what the monster was and had us all carrying mirrors on our person." Edith explained. "I used it to keep track of where I was going and hide from it when it got close. I was lucky; I think its eyes were stuck shut for some reason."

"That must have been terrifying." Pablo said.

Edith shrugged slightly. "I'm a witch. It wouldn't do for me to be afraid of anything I can out-think and outmaneuver."

"She was shivering when she finally got back to the safety of the dorm." Megan put in faux-helpfully, causing Graham to snort and Ginny to smirk.

Edith looked balefully at the black haired, blue eyed girl. "Thanks a lot, Megan. And here I was hoping to offer a legitimate reason the teachers treat me like a special precious snowflake, instead of something that happened when I was too young to remember."

"Ah, don't worry Potter – you've got us convinced!" Emmanuel laughed. Viktor said nothing, but tilted his head in agreement.

Edith gave him a small, grateful smile. "I'm glad to hear that..."

Viktor couldn't help but smile sympathetically at her at that. He knew a bit about being treated as special, to the point where it was difficult to hang out and maintain normal friendships with people. What exactly Edith was considered 'special' for he wasn't sure yet (he had heard rumors about the Girl Who Lived story, but not the whole story – and up to that point he was doubting its legitimacy) but clearly, like him, she didn't like being put on a high pedestal by her peers.

At least, not for no reason.

"But hey, if we're talking about earning glory instead of having it dumped on us, what about the Tournament? You interested?" Pablo asked.

Edith laughed, warm and open, and once again Viktor was absorbed in the riddle of a girl standing in front of him. "Hah! Hardly...I'm too young, and I'm not sure what I'd do with 'eternal glory'. I'd rather be remembered for what I'm doing in the present, and what I'll continue doing."

"You're very ambitious for someone too young to enter," Viktor commented.

Edith tossed him a coy smile. "What can I say? It's a House trait."

Megan snickered again at that, amused. "Shall we show you to the library? There should be plenty of helpful information there, and Hermione, Cho and Hestia would be able to get whatever you need from the stacks. I'm pretty sure they have that whole room memorized, down to whether or not a chair has been moved slightly to the left since they last entered the room."

"I wouldn't put it past them," Graham muttered. "I'm pretty sure they'd sleep there if they were allowed."

"Oh, be nice Graham. There's nothing wrong with that." Ginny chided lightly, but the gleam in her eyes suggested she agreed with him.

Viktor chuckled. "Please, do show the way."

 _ ****~Several Days Later~****_

Edith let out a content sigh and shut off the alarm she had set an hour before. Sitting up, she saw a few golden lights that showed her past self fading away. She smiled wryly, "Even after two weeks of using this thing, that's still an uncanny sight." she rubbed her eyes and pushed her hair away from her face. "Well the Unspeakables weren't kidding. Nap cycles are important to staying rested and content when using a Time Turner."

She turned her head to the right and smiled. Ginny was lying on the bed next to her, still asleep. Given what she'd seen of Ron, maybe being a heavy sleeper was also a Weasley trait – along with red hair and fierce tempers. Lightly Edith reached across the bed and gently shook her shoulder, until Ginny let out a small whine and opened her eyes.

"Come on, Ginny. We don't want to miss the Choosing Ceremony." Edith said with a smile.

"Are you _sure_ that alarm can't be changed to a less annoying noise?!" Tracey whined from the bed a few feet away. The other girl sat up, missing her own time turner several times as she tried to pick it up. It always took her a few minutes to fully wake up.

"If it was a pleasant noise, would it wake you up?" Edith asked smartly.

Tracey shot her a molten glower, sleepy eyes narrowed. "You do know you're not supposed to answer rhetorical questions, Potter, don't you?"

"I tease, I tease...but come on. Let's see who the school champion will be."

The three walked out of the room, joining Daphne, Flora, Hestia, Graham and Blaise in the common room before leaving the dorm entirely to head for the Great Hall. Hermione, Cho and Luna were waiting for them at the stairwell, Hannah, Susan, Megan and little Leona were waiting for them at the doorway, and finally Ron Neville and Colin were all already inside.

As she walked in, Edith spotted Natalie MacDoland again. The girl was sitting somewhat off by herself, though Dennis Creevy – Colin's little brother – eventually wandered over and tried to start a conversation with her. Natalie smiled and responded, but Edith still saw that tired yet maniac haze in her dark brown eyes. Once again, she wondered what had caused it, and felt as though she was seeing a shadow of herself in that girl...

Once everyone filed in, the choosing began. Edith watched as the fires of the Goblet changed from blue to purple and spat out the first name. "The Beaxbaton champion is...Fleur Delacure!"

 _Fancy that,_ Edith thought in amusement as she cheered and clapped; her older blonde friend looked excited as she got up from the table. Some of her fellow classmates were crying with jealously, but overall the school seemed to be enthusiastic about her. _Fleur's pretty likable once you get past the 'I'm different so stay away from me' haughty attitude. It's a facade, thanks to her experiences with anti Creature hysteria, but many people aren't astute enough to figure that out._ Maisie was cheering the loudest for her friend.

As Fleur stepped off to the side, Dumbledore read the next name. "The Drumstrang champion is...Viktor Krum!"

The whole room erupted into cheers at this; Viktor pumped his fist and strode over to the table. Edith chuckled. Viktor seemed to be having fun around here, excluding the times he had to run and escape his annoying fangirls. Edith remembered sneakily getting Ron to meet him in person...by bringing him to 'hide' in the library when he was studying there. The poor boy had nearly passed out, and had to drum up the courage to shake the older boy's hand.

Yes, that had been amusing. And Ron was very happy to meet his idol in person, something he never thought he'd be able to.

Now, for the final champion...

"The Hogwarts Champion is...Cedric Diggory!"

Cho leapt to her feet and cheered loudly for her boyfriend as the well liked Hufflepuff boy stood up and walked forward somewhat shyly to meet his fellow competitors. Edith and her friends got up and did the same, as a show of solidarity from Hogwarts's usually divided houses.

The redhaired girl smiled when she saw several other children – from multiple houses – getting up and doing the same to follow her example. Her impact among them was growing every day, as she got to know more people, as she showed them her best. Perhaps it would have meant something to enter the tournament when she was of age...it brought people to her.

Brought them together.

As if summoned by her wayward thought – or perhaps by a deity who was annoyed at the implication that she would be staying out of trouble for once – the goblet suddenly started spitting fire straight up. The lights flared uneasily for a minute, before spitting out another name.

Edith knew who's name was on it before Dumbledore called out to her.

 _ ****~In the back~****_

"Sir, there's been a mistake," Edith said, holding onto her temper with both hands as she looked between the suspicious headmasters, Barty Crouch, and Ludo Bagman. "I did not, and could not have put my name in the Goblet. I was never in the room during choosing time! I was with my friends!"

"I can testify to that," Viktor offered, looking troubled. Clearly he was wondering what the hell had just happened, and why. "Miss Edith was showing me and my friends the gardens on the last night to enter names."

"She couldn't have gotten past the age line!" Cedric threw in. _He_ looked concerned – Edith knew, both through Cho talking about him and the various times they had met, that Cedric was a giant mother hen who was always looking out for younger students in his year. She'd seen him with Leona and other first years just a few nights before. "Sir, someone's sabotaged the goblet. We should put the tournament on hold and investigate it!"

"The goblet constitutes a binding magical contract." Barty Crouch droned. "Miss Potter must compete; she is now a member of the Tri Wizard Tournament."

Edith was sorely tempted to unleash some exceptionally foul language she had learned from Megan, but Fleur got there first. "You mean the Quad-Wizard Tournament?" The French champion threw in sarcastically. "Sir, there is something so _obviously_ wrong I _refuse_ to believe there's nothing you can do about it."

"Miss Delacure, please," Dumbledore said soothingly, as if he was speaking to an upset four year old. This caused all four champions to glare at him, at being talked down to like this. "We will look, but it seems that there's nothing that can be done for now. You should go and get some sleep...prepare for the first task. I wish you all good luck."

The four regarded the group of teachers with a mixture of anger and disbelief before, almost completely uniformly, storming out – leaving their displeasure obvious to those in charge.

 **End Chapter**

 _ **And it's done! Thank god, that was a pain in the neck for some reason...so yeah! So far, Edith has been using her Time Turner to a) befriend people from the other schools like Fleur, Maisie, Viktor and Emmanuel - oversees contacts, horray!, b) to do some learning, and c) to rest. In Canon, Hermione never used her time turner to get extra sleep, and I think that's why she couldn't handle it at the end. I mean, stress takes you apart when you aren't well rested!**_

 _ **Now, since Edith has a good rap among the other champions, that dynamic is going to be**_ **very _different from canon, and I'm excited (and feeling a little evil) about where I'll be able to go with that. And I hope you guys are too!_**

 ** _I'm just sorry to say I have to go back to school in a few days, and I have no idea how that will affect my update speed, but I'll do my best to keep this story (and others) a'rolling!_**

 ** _Read and Review please!_**


	30. Chapter 30

**Cult Potter**

 _ **Me: Shorter chapter because of school and writer's block. And Gundam. I'm sorry; the homework is starting to come on faster and stress tends to put limits on my muse.**_

 _ **Ginny: That, and you're trying to decide whether to use the canon tasks, or to switch them up for something else. Right?**_

 _ **Me: (stares) You...how did you know?**_

 _ **Ginny: (deadpan) You thought you could keep secrets from a Weasley? That's adorable, Wanda. (shows script) I thought I'd offer my opinion...with a red pen.**_

 _ **Me: I thought I told you to stay out of there!**_

 _ **Ginny: Why? So I wouldn't read out your daydreams about the Gundam pilots?**_

 _ **Me: GINNY WEASLEY! (Ginny bolts, author gives chase while breathing fire and waving a broom overhead)**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

 **Chapter 29: Preparations for Disaster**

"This was _not_ how I was planning for my year to go."

"Since when do plans ever work out?"

Edith shot Sally an indigent look. " _Mine_ usually do!"

Edith and her ever-growing group of friends were camped out in the library, considering the situation that their boss/leader was now in. Ginny was pissed off, to put it mildly – the redhead was practically radiating with the thinly restrained Weasley Temper. Sally didn't look happy either, though she looked less surprised than the others. Hermione and Cho both looked grim; she had looked up the rules of the tournament and it seemed that infuriating loophole that Dumbledore had pointed out was going to be held as valid.

"There are always going to be setbacks, Edith...think of this as training."

Edith hissed and clenched her hands. "Right...that doesn't mean I have to like it...I thought the whole _reason_ this blasted tournament was canceled was because witches and wizards my age didn't _survive_ it when they entered!"

"That's exactly it," Padma responded grimly, before giving 'the boss' a wry smile. "Good thing you're not most witches, are you?"

Edith glanced over at the other girl. "Padma's right, Edith," Pavarti added in helpfully. She and Lavander had joined the group of friends near the end of third year and were settling in just fine. Sally liked them both, and Lavander's bubbly enthusiasm for everything earned her Edith's seal of approval in little time. "You're more powerful and more skilled than most people your age."

"I'm hardly invincible," Edith protested, "and I have no idea what to expect! The teachers aren't going to tell me anything, and while I'm lucky the _real_ champions are sympathetic towards me, I don't know if they'll help me either."

"Cedric will help you," Cho said confidently, giving Edith a deadpan look. "I'm a little hurt that you would expect otherwise."

The redhead winced slightly. "Force of habit, Cho. I didn't mean that as a slight against him; while the rules don't directly forbid it, it is a _competition._ I wouldn't expect them to risk their scores to help me...especially since they're the ones that _wanted_ to compete to begin with."

"Do the other teachers _really_ not see how ridiculous this is?!" Megan exploded finally. "This is the equivalent of the New York Giants being forced to add a unwilling, untrained kid to their roster for the biggest game in the season _because there was a typo in the registry!_ Why the _hell_ is this being allowed to fly, it's the most transparent bullshit I've ever heard!"

"Well that's Barty Crouch for you," Ron said lowly; he had heard his father's opinion on the man before. "Sticker for the rules, that one."

" _How does this nonsense factor into the actual rules of the tournament?!_ " Megan practically shrieked, causing Madam Price to stick her head around the corner and shoot the group a disapproving frown.

"Megan, Megan! Deep breaths," Hannah cautioned her friend, putting a hand on the black haired girl's shoulder. "Don't get mad at us."

"I'm _not_ ," Megan responded sullenly, more quietly than the first time though. "I assure you, my contempt is reserved for the Ministry and the the people in charge of the tournament."

"I wonder what my auntie is making of all this," Susan sighed. "It's outside her jurisdiction, but I don't think she'd approve of what Dumbledore's doing. Allowing Edith to be put in harms way like this goes against the oath he took when he became headmaster."

"Hardly the first time he's done that," Fred remarked, sounding unusually serious. It was a mark of the precarious position that Edith had been thrown into that neither he nor George were making jokes at the moment; either because they didn't think she'd appreciate them at the moment, or because they were both worried about her. "Stone, chamber, dementors."

"Well, at least with the Dementors he shares that idiocy with Fudge..." Neville muttered, causing Hannah to shoot him a totally surprised look. It wasn't like Neville to say stuff like that! He was usually pretty non-confrontational, even after Edith encouraged him to ditch his granny-made shell. "Really, dementors around schoolkids, most of whom can't cast the patronus?"

"Speaking of being unable to cast stuff," Flora cut in, "I'm thinking we should graduate our personal training program up to wandless magic. _Especially_ for you, Edith."

Edith furrowed her brow with thought. Hestia nodded in agreement; "Everyone knows that most wizards are completely helpless without their wands," the twin said, "We don't want that to be us, and being able to use magic wandlessly may very well save your life in the upcoming tasks Edith."

"Hm. I agree," Edith said, leaning back against the comfy chair she was sitting in. "I've been getting sick of having to rely on my wand to do anything big, and only a fool relies on a single weapon. However," her brow furrowed, "we will have to commit to it, totally. Wandless magic is difficult to master."

"Thank god we have the time turners, then," Tracey commented.

"Indeed. Somehow I have a sense that Dumbledore doesn't want us learning that far ahead," Daphne said darkly. She had grown to loath the Headmaster thanks to his decision to hire Lockhart without preforming a proper background check on the man. "Do the newbies know how to get to the Room of Requirement?"

"The what?" Lavander asked, confused.

"That's the room that changes shape, right?" The group turned towards Graham and Lilith Moon, who were sitting near the back. The silver haired girl was smiling; Graham had done the seemingly impossible and struck up a friendship with the enigmatic Moon heir. The two had often been seen together despite the age difference.

"You found it yourself?" Astoria asked curiously.

"If it's the one on the fifth floor, than yeah. Lilith and I stumbled on it when were avoiding Pansy Parkinson after dinner," Graham explained; Lilith (and Dancia, for that matter) visibly rolled her eyes at the mention of the other girl. "It just _appeared_ in the wall. The first time we went inside, it was a study carrel. But when we went back yesterday, it transformed into a library."

"It changed in between visits?" Pavarti asked curiously.

"Yeah." Edith smiled. "It's been extremely handy. I expect to see you all there starting tomorrow, am I right?"

"Right!" The motly group of all four houses cheered. "Let's begin this, together!"

 _ ****~A week later~****_

"You look tired, Edith."

Edith raised her head from its resting place on her arms on the library table to see Cedric and Fleur frowning down at her in concern. Ginny, by contrast, was out like a light next to her. The last two hours of magic practice had taken a lot out of everyone; wandless magic was fickle and took more energy than spells cast by the wand. "Eh? You guys...what time is it?"

"Lunch time." Cedric offered her his hand, while Fleur reached over and gently shook Ginny's shoulder. The younger redhead sighed slightly and blinked her eyes multiple times. "Are you two okay? You look wiped out."

"We were practicing," Edith explained, quickly sliding her Time Turner back under the collar of her shirt. "Guess we lost track of time..."

"Come on, you look famished." Cedric encouraged. Edith smiled slightly, taking his hand and letting him lead her towards the Great Hall. "Look, I know you don't want to be in the tournament, but since we've failed to convince the teachers, you should probably know that the Weighing of the Wands and the initial interviews are tomorrow."

" _Lovely_ ," Edith said fatalistically. "I'll be lucky if I ever get my bloody name out of the papers at this rate..." Her brow furrowed. "Who's even writing the interviews?"

Fleur growled low in her throat, her face looking vaguely birdlike for a moment. "Rita Skeeter is. That self important _cunt_." She snarled out.

Edith stalled and stared at her French friend. "Did...did you just use the _c_ word?" She sputtered. Fleur never, _ever_ talked like that, not even when dealing with lecherous, unwanted suitors (which there had been many, thanks to her Veela beauty). She was a dignified, polite, charming young lady.

"Yes." Fleur answered, not looking remotely sorry...which explained quite neatly to both Edith and Ginny who they would be dealing with even before the blonde elaborated. "She's nothing but a two bit tabloid muckraker who's more interested in being sensational than upholding any journalist ethics. You've never seen her write an opinion piece on 'magical 'creatures''...its the ugliest, foulest, malicious screed you'll encounter. She does as much to spread prejudice and mistrust than most politicians combined. Anything you say, she'll twist the words or take them out of context with her poisonous self dictating quill."

Fleur turned and bent her knees so she was looking Edith in the eye – the older girl was about a head taller than her. "Be careful what you say to her. She has no good thing to say about anyone other than herself."

"Thanks for the warning," Edith said, her expression having considerably darkened. Ginny hadn't offered up her opinion (mostly because she was sleepy) but the revolted look in her eyes spoke volumes. "What about you, Fleur?"

"I've learned how to handle people like her," The half Veela said as the foursome resumed walking. "Comes with the territory, since my father is a high ranked government official. As long as she doesn't bother Gabrielle, then I'll deal with her."

"I wouldn't be against some tips," Edith said lowly. "I've handled useless and malicious adults before, but I've usually been allowed to use magic on them without it erupting into a scandal."

Cedric snorted. He had read a bit of Rita Skeeter's work, and there was no more effective way to put the lady on his (rather short) shit list. "I think there are a lot ofpeople who would cheer for you if you _did_ hit her, but let's not find out the hard way."

"I'd be one of them," Fleur muttered. "No, I'd be happy to coach you Edith. Just make sure you're well rested for tomorrow."

"I will. We got distracted today because we're still adjusting to the program...I figured an all out was going to be kind of necessary, given what I'm walking into now." Edith said, a hard edge entering her voice.

Cedric gave her shoulder a friendly squeeze, concern in his eyes. "We'll look out for you, you know that right?"

Edith nodded, a faint smile flashing across her face for a moment. "I know. But when it comes to the tasks themselves, I'm on my own."

 _ ****~The Next Day~****_

If Viktor Krum, a god at dealing with annoying paparazzi (unavoidable, considering his status) was leaving the interview room looking visibly annoyed, then it was a good thing that she and Fleur had had that conversation.

"Edith Potter!"

Edith got up, adjusting her robes slightly before walking inside. There was the garishly dressed demon herself. _Self dictating quill, check. Let's see if this train wreck can be manned after all._ Edith calmly sat down and placed her wand on the table.

"Ah, the famous miss Edith Potter," Rita simpered, offering her hand. Edith shook with a neutral expression. "What a _pleasure_ to meet you."

"Miss Skeeter." Edith acknowledged, polite but cool. Inside, she was resisting the urge to break into a small cold smile. "Shall we begin?"

 **End Chapter**

 _ **I never got that thing about a 'binding magical contract'...how could it be binding to Harry if it was signed and 'accepted' by someone else entirely? Without his consent? Shouldn't the magic not respond to that? I'm more tempted to believe it was a political move (Barty Crouch) and a move by Dumbledore to toughen him up. Of course, Edith isn't going to sit down and take this quietly. And don't worry - she'll deal with Rita Skeeter...(chuckles darkly)**_

 _ **I have a few ideas for alternate Tournament tasks, (which I don't want to spoil in case I decide to use them) but I don't think I have a full tournament worth. I'm leaning towards making new ones because I'd like to break up the monotony of just repeating the canon ones. Feel free to offer some opinions or suggestions in reviews!**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	31. Chapter 31

**Cult Potter**

 _ **Writer's Block: I WON, I WON, NEER, NEER, NEER! (explodes as a ZAKU is dropped on it)**_

 _ **Homework: YOU CANNOT ESCAPE YOUR MISERY! (is shot out of the sky by a sniper rifle)**_

 ** _Me: We'll just have to see about that, won't we..._**

 ** _Edith: Another short chapter? I thought I warned you about this, and making me wait..._**

 ** _Me: (winces) Yes. You did. And I'm getting there. Don't worry._**

 ** _Edith: You're the one who should be worried..._**

 ** _Me: Hey, I'm fighting school and writer's block! Cut me a damn break, will you?!_**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

 **Chapter 30: Here Be Dragons**

"Dragons. Mother effing _dragons_." Edith flung her arms in the air. "Of _course_ they'd pick _dragons_. Fuck! This is NOT good!" She watched from a safe distance as the tamers tried to move the ornery, hungry, magnificent beasts into the lower cages to await the task tomorrow. "And that fucking news expose is there as the cherry on top." She stared up at the sky, frowning. "Is this meant as a sign? Some sort of divine scolding?"

"I seriously doubt that," Ginny responded, trying to hide how frightened she was now that she knew what the task Edith was facing consisted of. They had gotten the information tip off from Hagrid, and snuck out to see what it was. "Or else it would be more direct. No, this is some less-than-subtle individual's very public assassination attempt."

"Well, that'll make this the first of many, no doubt," Edith said with a heavy huff. "The question is, what the hell am I going to _do_ about this. Dragons are spell resistant, fire breathing, and extremely territorial; it takes over a dozen highly trained aurors just to subdue one. And I have to steal an _egg_ from one; one that will be disguised to look like on of her _real_ ones." She let out a snarl. "Just. Effing. Fabulous."

"What are you going to do?" Ginny asked her friend, a heavy note of anxiety in her voice. Charlie had told her a lot about dragons; she knew how relentless and powerful they were, _especially_ the mothers. Charlie often said that their mother was a dragon wrapped in human skin.

"I, am going to learn to apparate." Edith responded stridently, turning and heading back towards the school.

"That's illegal without a license." Ginny noted.

"Like that's stopped me before. And right now, my choices are break the law or _die horribly_." Edith responded icily. "It's already illegal for me, the fourteen year old, to be in this restricted-to-adults competition. I think I'd rather ask forgiveness than permission, especially when the alternative means getting _roasted_. If I were more talented on a broomstick, I might use that, but I'm not. Not even close."

Edith _hated_ flying with a burning passion. Brooms never worked properly for her, and she had fallen more times than she cared to admit. Despite Cho, Ron and Blaise's best attempts to help her, she had never gotten much better at it.

"Well, we better make sure Hannah's around for your practice." Ginny said. "In case of splinching."

Edith grimaced. "Lovely. Nearly forgot about that. Inconvenient, to say the least..." Her right hand clenched. "Curse this entire effing setup, and everyone involved with it who isn't a champion. May they bite their tongues while eating their favorite food."

Up in his office, Dumbledore gasped in pain and spat out the lemon drop he had been crunching on in that moment.

"It isn't like you to be this highly wired, Edith." Ginny said, pausing her walking. Edith broke off her momentum and turned to look at the other redhead. Those brown eyes bored into her, full of concern. "I didn't realize you were taking it this bad."

"I try to marshal my feelings," Edith admitted, "and it's served me well. But I'm not super human, and I'm definitely not above fear." She glanced over her shoulder, where the roar of a dragon went up. She shivered – a very rare sight. "And given how I've been trapped in this scenario, which completely and deliberately separates me from my support and loyal friends during dire straights, well...the deck's not stacked in my favor."

"You can do it," Ginny insisted, stepping forward and touching Edith's shoulder. "You're the most powerful witch of your generation."

"Power alone isn't enough." Edith said grimly. "I can't afford to get arrogant because of that. If the odds get too overwhelming, it simply won't matter. I have little to no experience with creatures as powerful as dragons."

"You're not just strong. You're _wily_. You've been fooling the adults around you for a long time, and you come up with some brilliant plans even before you consult me or Hermione or any of our other friends. We look to _you_ for strategies, Edith."

"You're flattering me, Ginny."

Ginny's eyes narrowed. "You think I don't respect you enough to be straight with you? Seriously? Maybe I'll leave you to mope on your own then." The younger girl turned and stormed off.

She got about twenty feet before a hand grabbed her shoulder from behind. "Ginny, wait!" Edith's expression was frightened and contrite. "I-I didn't mean it like that. I-I'm sorry." She let go, slumping somewhat. "I... I know you're trying to help me."

"The Edith I became friends with didn't crumble this easily," Ginny said tightly, not turning around. "She fought the Dark Lord and killed him at eleven. _She_ could handle a dragon, but I'm not sure she's _here_ at the moment."

The redhead tried to leave again...this time Edith took both her shoulders and turned her around, green eyes terribly wide. "Ginny, no. Please don't leave me."

Ginny's anger abated somewhat...the girl who lived seemed more afraid that she was turning her back on her than the possibility of the dragon. "I let myself get overwhelmed," Edith went on, "because I've never faced something like this so unexpectedly. I'm sorry. I _can_ handle it. I just...I just need to properly reassess my plans."

There was silence for a moment, before Ginny smiled a bit and said, "That's better." Edith let out an audible sigh of relief. "You know panic never helps."

"I know that better than you realize," Edith said under her breath; Ginny caught it and frowned, knowing it was a reference to her experiences on the muggle streets. Thinking about that never failed to throw fresh coals into the firepit that was her Weasley Temper. "It's just..."

"What?"

"This is not how I planned to die."

For a second, Ginny was stunned silent. The implications of that statement ran wild throughout her head. "...You have a plan for dying?"

"It's nothing anywhere near the near future," Edith responded wryly. "And it's missing a fair number of details. Don't worry about that too much."

 _How could I_ not _worry_? Ginny thought in shock. Before she could raise the question, Edith started walking back to Hogwarts again, her hand removing her time turner from under her shirt. You could tell from the way she was walking that she felt she had said too much, and no matter what you said to her, she wasn't going to elaborate.

 _ ****~Room of Requirement~****_

" _Fuck,_ that hurts!"

"Language," Hannah said absently as she began her work.

"Oh shove off, or I'll start calling you Hermione," Edith said darkly as the prodigy healer, with some assistance from Hestia, undid the splinching she had just experienced. "I'm a theif, a con artist, a liar, a killer, and in time, a world conquering warlord. I'll swear if I want to!"

"Wow. Somebody's _really_ in a bad mood," Daphne remarked, while Cho chuckled merrily from a nearby chair where she was absorbed in further wandless theory. "Usually I only hear the f word this frequently from Megan or Flora."

"Or Fleur, apparently. Were you nearby when she read Skeeter's opening expose on the Tournament?" Graham opinioned from his seat next to Lilith.

"Pav and I were!" Lavender offered. "It was amazing! I think she slipped into French without realizing it at the halfway point. There were a few words even Megan didn't recognize when I told her about it!"

Edith craned her neck and glanced at the bubbly blonde in surprise. "I didn't realize you spoke French, Lavender."

Lavender blushed lightly. "It's a Brown family tradition; you gotta be bilingual by your fourteenth birthday. Daddy has super high standards; I think he speaks at least six – English, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish." She then shot a fond smile at Pavarti, who was sitting next to her as always. "Pav's teaching me Hindui now."

"Megan and I speak German," Graham said, glancing curiously at Lavender, "because our mother is native and still prefers it to English. Why's it a tradition of yours?"

Lavender shrugged. "Daddy said that, a long time ago, the Brown family were a the head of a band of nomadic mercenaries, fighting wars for the highest bidder. Thanks to that, they needed to know a lot of languages."

"That...sounds super interesting," Edith remarked, standing up now that her wrist was properly reattached. She rubbed it ruefully before turning her attention back to the blonde. "Can you tell me more some time?"

"Oh, sure. Daddy loves to talk about it at family dinner," Lavender said enthusiastically. "We could invite you over for the holidays sometime!"

"Haha! Thanks," Edith said with a smile. "Now, let's see if I can get this right..." Her form shivered, and an enormous crack split the room. Suddenly the redhead was standing at the other end of the room. Her friends gaped in surprise for a second, before exploding into cheers.

"Don't praise me yet," Edith chuckled, though her eyes had no levity in them. "I'm just getting started here."

 _ ****~Elsewhere~****_

Natalie MacDonald stared moodily out the window of the first year dorm. The view was pretty spectacular; she could see the lake and the Forbidden Forest, gleaming like jewels in the late evening light. Maybe it was the distance, but they looked harmless from here, a beautiful, untouched part of nature – a part of the world that wizardkind, or perhaps humankind in general, didn't really understand. So they weren't careful with it.

Humans...

Natalie's gray eyes clouded over somewhat.

Wizard, muggle, humans were the same. They were unpredictable. They were cruel and turned on each other, tearing like savage hounds. They were selfish and petty just as often as they were kind and selfless. And most of all...they weren't good at predicting their own doom.

The dark haired girl looked down at her wrist, turning it slightly until her palm was facing upwards. There was a number written across it.

1,000.

One thousand days. That was all she had left.

How did it always happen so quickly...

Natalie stared at the numbers, gently etched into her pale palm, cutting across the lines and scars on her skin. Slowly, she raised that hand and pressed it against her neck, seeking out the cold stone which hung like a weight around her neck.

She could hear them whispering to her. So many voices. The voices from the other side. She raised the small grey prism stone, so innocent and seemingly unremarkable, to her eye level.

That man...that fool, Peverell. Had he really expected that girl to have come back unchanged? That something pulled back from death would be unchanged? She wondered if he ever listened to her talk. She wondered if he knew how she hated him, for cursing her to this phantom existence.

She wondered if Dennis had noticed how her skin felt ice cold to the touch, when he held her hand and welcomed her into the Gryffindor common room. She wondered, however briefly, if she should tell the boy who clearly wanted to be her friend why that was such a terrible idea.

Because she was doomed.

Natalie was doomed...and unfortunately, that doom would _not_ be her end.

Tom Riddle truly was a fool. There were things far more horrifying than death.

Natalie MacDonald pressed the Resurrection Stone against her chest, where a hollow heart came to a scheduled and eerie pause.

 **End Chapter**

 _ **To preempt the millions of comments I can already hear coming - yes, I have read the books, yes I'm perfectly aware that in canon, the resurrection stone was stuck in a ring that was made a Horcrux. I, however, threw canon in the nearest dumpster after about chapter...1, so that is NOT the case here...for a very important, story arc related reason.**_

 _ **I wanted to show Edith vulnerable...hopefully it works. Plus it highlights how close she is to Ginny that she actually let that 'death' line slip out...yes... I WILL be going there, by the time the Yule Ball rolls around, don't you worry. I hope it's been clearly implied in buildup to this point.**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	32. Chapter 32

_**Cult Potter**_

 _ **(Fireworks erupt everywhere, filling the night sky with all the colors in existence)**_

 _ **Flora: What the hell?!**_

 _ **Me: I have done it! I've written a story that has cracked 100,000 words! I'M SO EFFIN' EXCITED!**_

 _ **Flora: Bright lights! Bright lights!**_

 _ **Me: (sheepish) Sorry. I'm just so happy! This is a big milestone for me.**_

 _ **Flora: (blinking furiously) And I guess that makes up for the wait...?**_

 _ **Me: No, the long wait was because of me falling embarrassingly behind on a course at high school because half the time, I forgot the online course even existed. But the excitement broke the writer's block for me at long last!**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

 _ **Chapter 31: The First Task  
**_

The dragon's mighty roar was beautiful to listen to; even though it threatened to shatter her eardrums and reinforced the hell she was about to walk into. The wyverns were truly magnificent creatures. Powerful in ways that few others could compare, savage in their rage, unswervingly loyal to their family (which was, admittedly, a problem, considering the focal point of this task) and the masters of the world untouched by humans. There was a reason for the age old saying, 'never trouble a sleeping dragon'. Dragon reserves were one of the few places that anyone but the most well trained or powerful dared to tread.

And sitting in this tent, adjusting her basilisk scale overcoat and calmly going over her plan for the battle (and the inevitable aftermath) in her head, Edith decided that she wanted some dragons of her own. Raised from birth to ensure their loyalty; perhaps with Ama or some younger basilisks for playmates... Padma and Luna were fascinated by magical creatures; Luna in particular knew more about habitats, breeding and life cycles than anyone outside of Hagrid himself. Edith idly wondered if she knew the grandson of the author of her favorite book – _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them._ Edith had looked the family up a few months back out of curiosity, and learned the pair were roughly the same age.

The redhead heard another howl, and took an even breath before standing up. Gone was her initial panic when she had discovered what this task would consist of. She had mastered apparating; she could teleport from one side of the castle to the other if the wards didn't forbid it. Once you got past the threat of splinching, the transport spell was one of the most convenient and useful in her arsenal. So naturally, she made it a requirement of all her friends.

Megan, Susan, Padma, Sally, Daphne, Astoria and Ginny were close behind her in terms of control – she gave it a few days before they could move just as fluently at her. Ron, Colin, Neville and Blaise were no longer at splinch risk, though they had a little trouble moving further than the distance of an entire hall. Lilith, Dancia, Flora and Hestia could already apparate as easily as breathing. Sometimes, having families with 'dark' history had its perks – you learned things no one else did. Fred and George were also close to mastering it; Edith winced slightly and wondered if Molly would ever forgive her if she learned someone was deliberately ensuring her wild and dangerously unpredictable sons were more capable than they might have been otherwise. Cho, Hannah, Parvati and Lavender were just starting out – mainly because they had been the ones cleaning up splinching accidents – but Edith had confidence they would master it as well.

Graham wasn't learning yet, much to his vocal annoyance, but Megan had put her foot down and she was one of the few people who's authority he respected (the other being Edith herself). Dennis wasn't learning either, but that was more because he was new to the group. (That, and Colin watched him like a hawk to ensure he never got hurt. The threat of something happening to Dennis was one of the few things that got Edith's cheery, budding reporter/publicist companion serious.)

Another roar, a wince, and Ludo Bagman yelling ' _Oh, that's got to be – someone get the tamers out there now!'_ caused Edith to stick her head out of the tent to see what was going on.

She chuckled dryly at the sight. "I warned you a full frontal assault was not the best strategy for a dragon, Viktor. Well, at least you didn't get eaten."

She didn't mean that in a condescending way – the fact that Viktor was both willing and able to straight up charge a dragon (and not die) was a testament to his guts. However, if you were trying to retrieve something from the dragon, employing some guile was the better highway.

Edith returned to her seat and lightly touched her wand. Warmth spread through her fingers, and a soft thrum of power echoed in time with her heartbeat. "There's no need to fear it," she muttered. "Not me. Not anymore."

Ginny was right about her raw power, Edith mused as she recalled the massive patronus she had used against the Dementors less than a year ago. Of course, there was still the problematic matter of her age, and the fact that dragons were massive and spell resistant and it took nearly twenty wizards to subdue one on a good day. The advantage Edith had on the dragon was speed, and forward planning. Oh, dragons were intelligent – more so than most wizards bothered to give them credit for; some could even speak the human language – but this dragon was going to be drugged, somewhat tired, and _very_ pissed off. Normally that would _not_ be good news, but it meant the great creature was unlikely to set a trap for her. She wasn't going to care about much, aside from protecting her nest and trying to incinerate Edith for getting too close.

Edith let out a long, slow breath, easing her mental shields. Occlumency was useful, not just in that it kept meddlers and irritants away from her grand plans, but it also helped her focus and compartmentalize her thoughts. She intended to upgrade to full out mental landscaping by the end of the year; Hermione and Flora were already tackling that magical theory as of yesterday. She smothered a smile at the thought; Hermione and Flora were Light and Dark counterparts to each other. In another lifetime, they would have loathed to even stand in the same room; now they were study partners and were developing a close friendship. Hestia, perhaps, wouldn't have surprised her – Hestia was gentle for a Dark born witch, originally a servant to the unfortunate circumstances of her birth before meeting Edith, sweet and kind in the shadows. Perhaps Hestia could have befriended Hermione even without Edith in the picture, though she kind of doubted it, given how sharply and deeply divided Hogwarts was. The four houses were taught to mistrust and compete with each other. Light and Dark had been pitted against each other for several generations.

Her lip curled slightly as she thought of that. To think that such a complex world regarded their dichotomies so simply...to simply assume that Light was good, and Dark was bad. Sure, Dark magic was regularly dangerous, and often taxing to the user, but so were regular firearms in the muggle world. It depended on the mind of the person who was using it; Salazar Slytherin and his daughter Isabel had proven as much during the creation of Hogwarts and the struggles against the Witch Burnings. But ever since Gellert Grindlewald's rebellion, Dark magic was increasingly taboo.

Ah. Gellert Grindlewald...there was some historical reading. He had been referred to as Voldemort/Riddle's predecessor, so of course Edith had read up on him. She'd been intrigued enough to read about his entire life, what little was known of it, and his personal philosophy. All dangerous things to think about...for the uninitiated.

Edith was of two minds of Grindlewald. She agreed with him, that the muggle and magical worlds should be merged. However, she didn't believe the muggles should be _subjugated –_ far from it. Muggles had much more to offer their kinsmen than Gellert had been willing to believe, and wizards were so socially backwards in places – Edith was well aware of Wizard America's ridiculous marriage restrictions on muggle/magical couples – that the idea that they would make a better leading society than the muggles was patent, supremely arrogant nonsense.

If only for the simple fact that the muggles had the Manga Carta, then Geneva Convention, and the magical community had _no such_ corresponding legislature.

No, Edith would lightly tread Gellert's path at first, then walk on her own way – a better way. One where the whole world, and everyone in it, would be cradled in the same safety, happiness and peace.

Idly she wondered, if the man survived in his prison long enough to see it, what he would think of the utopia she would turn the world into. Provided he didn't die of surprise when he heard that a _Potter_ had been responsible for it.

Edith chuckled darkly to herself. The obsession with family legacy had provided her a concealing shroud the likes of which would make any dedicated spy envious. How could a Potter be anything but the model light witch?

And yet here Edith was. Light and Dark. She had seen the color of her magic, and it was silver grey. As she planned to be, as she had always been since the day she, at six years old, had wandered into an alley and witnessed a hit and run. Witnessed it, and witnessed everyone passing by continuing on their way without offering the victim any help.

Edith let out a soft sigh as her mind went back to that incident...

 _~Flashback~_

 _Edith shivered as the cold wind blasted her face; she pulled the torn second hand coat closer to her shoulders as she wandered down the streets. The winter snow was just starting to fall; it was the middle of the night yet downtown was just as busy as it was when the sun was up. It was the Christmas season; late December, yet the young girl didn't share the joy that many of her fellow children were experiencing. No; she would be confined to the cupboard under the stairs, the air vent giving her enough vision to watch Dudley be showered with toys and affection. In a world she wasn't allowed to join._

 _The fact that he didn't have work for the foreseeable future meant Vernon was drinking more frequently than usual. Unfortunately for her, Edith wasn't allowed to leave the house whenever there were things to set up – and there were many, during Christmas – but once she had the chores done, she quickly escaped to the 'safety' of the snowy streets and the cold night sky._

 _'Safety' being a relative term. Edith was wise enough to stick to the town squares, malls, and street lamp lit roads; instinct warned her that anyone could walk down the well worn roads without appearing to be dangerous...after all, if Vernon Dursley could be seen as 'respectable' by upper middle class society, who's to say someone smarter, and more dangerous, couldn't do the same?_

 _The small redhead ducked into the alley because she had a sense that she was being followed. Thankfully, this much was paranoia – there was a grandmother who happened to resemble Petunia going shopping with her children; she had kept glancing over at Edith because she was wondering if the child was alone._

 _The alley connected two frequently driven roads on either side of the town square Edith had wandered into. It was decently lit, and there wasn't anyone else there. The girl let out a sigh of relief and began to hurry across to the other side-_

 _Edith squeaked in alarm; her old, one size too big boots skidding on the ice below the soft layer of flurries. She stumbled against the alley wall, wincing and trying to regain her equilibrium, her breath billowing out in front of her face. "Ow," She mumbled. "Slippery shoes..."_

 _The calm air was split with the grinding, horrible shriek of metal._

 _Edith's head snapped up to see a silver corvette flash across the road in front of the alley. Frightened screams followed. A figure who had been crossing in front of the alley's entrance tried to get out of the way, but wasn't fast enough. The bumper struck them in the stomach and threw them back into the mouth of alley with a sickening_ crack _, a noise that rang in Edith's ears and sent a freezing shudder down her spine. The car's wheels whirred furiously against the ice; after a few seconds it seemed to right itself, turned to the side, and rushed away into the night._

 _The six year old remained deathly still, saucer-wide green eyes fixed on the faintly twitching body on the ground. Traffic had resumed on the road. Some people walked past the alley without turning their heads at all. For a few seconds, she blinked furiously, wondering if she had somehow imagined that incident...but the body never vanished. A pitiful moan echoed through the empty alley._

 _Finally Edith's legs unfroze. She walked forward a few steps, then scurried, slipping and sliding on the ice until she reached the body. It was a teenaged boy; blood gushing from a gash on his head. His chest wheezed and moved erratically. His eyes cracked open and he looked up at her. He tried to say something, but couldn't; the impact had cracked his rib cage and punctured a lung._

 _Tentatively, Edith knelt down next to him, her mind paralyzed by fear. She had never seen so much blood in one place. All she could see was the fear and pain in the eyes of the older boy, lying there. She looked up._

 _Two men walked passed the entrance of the alley...stalled...and then kept walking. They did not call for help, or even seem to acknowledge what they had seen._

 _Edith's wide eyes suddenly blurred...tears dripped down her cheeks as she turned down to look at the boy. Not knowing what to do, she took off her coat – the cold air blasted her shoulders, but she ignored it, she was good at ignoring discomfort – and pressed it against his temple. The boy's eyes softened with something she couldn't understand, and he managed a tiny, grateful smile. He raised a shaky hand and touched her face, before letting out a final choked noise and his arm fell down. His movements ceased._

 _Edith blinked. Once. Twice. Fearful denial set in, her young mind vainly trying to reject what it had just seen...she released her coat and gently shook his shoulders. No response._

 _Tentatively she touched his neck – the gym teacher had taught them about their pulse and heartbeat just last week. She couldn't feel anything._

 _A thin, chilly wail echoed from the alley, frightening everyone who heard it._

 _~End Flashback~_

Edith shook her head to clear the fog away; a final frustrated roar from Fleur's dragon warned her that her turn would be coming shortly. _There's no point in that, Edith...your Time Turner doesn't go back more than three days..._ Her cheek felt wet; she raised her fingers and brushed it dry with small wonder. _That memory still makes me cry, even now...? After everything I've seen and discovered? Perhaps I should spend tomorrow on Masters Occlumency...I need to be able to make myself numb, cold..._ She shook her head, again. _No, one problem at a time. You have a dragon-sized problem waiting for you outside._

Standing up, Edith walked over to the full length mirror and adjusted the basilisk coat. Ama's shed skin, as it turned out, was no less durable then fresh scales. When you factored in that basilisk's were second only to dragons or Nuudu when it came to sheer durability and spell resistance, and you had a beautiful defensive shield. Edith had taken the shed hide – with Ama's permission, of course; the childlike creature had never denied her anything when asked – and turned it over to specialists, asking for armour and overcoats.

The result had been obscenely expensive – or _would_ have been; if Edith hadn't been cheating the gold exchange rate for the better part of two years now to make herself a financial powerhouse – but easily worth the cost. Daphne and Flora had both thrown their strongest damage curses, including the severing curse, and it didn't even scratch the coat Edith was now wearing. It was fireproof, too, though it was worth noting that Edith herself was not. It wasn't perfect, but it was eons ahead of where she would have been otherwise.

Because again. Fourteen year old. Life threatening contest meant for _adults_.

The armor coat was jet black, sunlight from the entrance of the tent glinting on the individual scales as she shifted. The coat swept down to her ankles, buttoned up from part way down her legs. Edith stared hard at her reflection for a moment, before smiling calmly and pulling the hood down over her face.

"Showtime." She whispered.

Well. If she would be forced to introduce herself through this tournament...

...Then she should do so with flair, shouldn't she?

 ****~Outside~****

"And here she is...facing the Hungarian Horntail, we have the fourth champion, Edith Potter!"

Edith strode onto the field, her eyes widening slightly when she saw her trial fully sized, instead of the baby she'd pulled from the cloth bag. The Hungarian Horntail was the biggest and most temperamental out of the four brought to Hogwarts (because of course it was), and this one was glaring at her with a mix of indignation for the ridiculous situation it was in, and anger...for all the obvious reasons. She pulled her wand out and took a few steps forward, eyes flickering around until they fell on the glinting gold egg sitting among the cold white stones. Her prize.

The redhead smiled easily.

"Let the task final task...!" Ludo Bagman may be a fool...but he had a good voice, and a good sense of grandiose. Perhaps she should cover his debt and hire him for entertainment purposes. "BEGIN!"

The dragon breathed a jet of fire at its opponent...and Edith vanished with a crack, reappearing directly behind the creature with ease, only slightly bending her knees in order to stay balanced.

People screamed and gasped. The dragon snarled and swung its massive spiked tail at the nuisance behind it; Edith merely transported again, this time appearing in the dragon's line of vision to the right of the egg nest.

She pointed her wand and sent several powerful, continuous sleeping spells towards the dragon, striking it in its magnificent crest. It would take dozens before they made any serious impact, but that was all part of the plan. Edith swayed to the right and apparated again as the dragon blasted fire in her direction. It was a wonder the stands weren't being lit up; Mad Eye probably had something to do with that, the paranoid nutcase. (Spoken with all affection. That was probably the wise way to survive in the world of magic).

More spells. Apparate. The dragon's head began to slump, glowing golden eyes spinning as they tried to follow the dizzying teleport pattern Edith was drawing along the inside circle. She could hear her friends, all of them, screaming and cheering her on – and not just them, either! Once they had gotten over their shock at her new ability, students from Hogwarts and some of the other schools were yelling and chanting as well.

Edith smirked and walked down the stones towards the nest, her hips swaying as she moved. The pounding adrenaline was giving her a strange sort of confidence...something she couldn't quite identify. She felt more at home in her physicality than she ever had before. It was a _good_ feeling.

Another jet of fire. Apparate. More spells. Edith spun in a circle and pulled off a dance move before pausing and watching the creature struggle to right itself. With each teleport cycle, she drew closer and closer to the nest.

 _You were right, Ginny. I should remember – no plan survives contact with the enemy. You simply have to compensate for it and make use of what you've already achieved. Does this please you?_

If the chanting of the crowd was any indication – quite possibly yes.

She apparated within a few inches of the dragon. The drunk crowd gasped at her audacity.

The dragon glared, too exhausted to breath fire, and took a swipe at her with its front claw. Edith smoothly apparated several feet to the right, raised her hand – _without_ her wand, just to make a point, she was high on the feeling of power she was experiencing – and fired several more sleeping spells at it. The dragon crouched down, and then lay on the stones, its expression becoming more and more docile.

"Shhh," Edith murmured, using the soft, soothing tone of voice she reserved for lost first years and tired friends. "You've been put through a lot to be brought here. But it's all over now. Rest, and recover, you magnificent beast." She reached out and lightly touched its muzzle, unleashing the final, heaviest sleep spell as she did so.

The dragon let out a soft rumble – sounding less like a murderous beast, and more like a content cat or dog – closed its eyes, and placed its head on the stone. In a few moments, it was fast asleep. Lightly Edith caressed its snout before striding across the remaining ground and picking up the fake golden age from the nest. She raised it up towards the crowd, before bowing deeply and apparating back towards the medical tent.

She didn't wait for her score. She didn't need to. Even Igor Karkeroff, who had been planning to down vote her score simply out of spite, had been shocked into giving her an eight. She was in second place, behind Fleur Delacure herself.

The crowd's ballistic shrieking could be heard for miles around.

 ****~Poppy's Tent, twenty minutes later~****

"Apparating, huh?"

Edith looked between an awestruck Cedric, a grinning Fleur and a mildly impressed Viktor and gave the group a small cat smile. "I thought about it – there was no sane way for a single wizard who hasn't matured yet to subdue or fight a dragon, so my next best option would be to stay ahead of it, and abuse my talent in charms and spellwork."

"Sleep spells!" Fleur laughed. She was so amused and impressed by this – Edith, having unknowingly completely played into her expectations of the Mysterious Waif – that her French accent nearly vanished as she spoke. "You should have seen the faces in the crowd, Edith. You have them eating out of your hand!"

Cedric pulled out of his surprise in order to look concerned – as usual. "You know apparating is illegal without a license, right?"

"If you're underage," Edith said with a careless shrug, still smirking.

"...You _are_ underage," Viktor pointed out, confused.

"Not according to the Goblet of Fire." Edith replied, her voice so casual and matter-of-fact Fleur had to swallow over a snicker. "According to that thing, since it has registered me for a tournament meant for adults, it has recognized me – if only for the purposes of the tournament itself – as an adult. Therefore, I am perfectly within my right to use adult magic for my trials."

"..."

For a second, both Cedric and Viktor stared at her. Then Viktor burst out laughing – a low, rumbling but very warm sound. That seemed to win Cedric over at last, because he smiled weakly.

"If you become a lawyer," The Hufflepuff said, "I feel very sorry for your competition."

Edith smiled innocently at him in response; a look that, incidentally, made her resemblance to Lily Evans stick out in sharper reveal.

"Smart girl," A new voice agreed. Edith looked up to see Mad Eye Moody hobbling into the tent; likely preceding the rest of the Hogwarts staff to demand the same question that Cedric had just given her. "Very smart girl. You knew you had no choice but to stay ahead of it, and you're turning this very same murder scenario to your advantage."

"Sir," Edith acknowledged. She had a healthy respect for Mad Eye; Susan had told her about his many achievements both during the first war...and just his auror career in general. He was a wily and powerful man; she was at a loss how she might 'befriend' him for her purposes. She hoped that she would eventually find a way...because he made a dangerous enemy.

"You may still get fined," Mad Eye said thoughtfully. "That loophole you just acknowledged will protect you from prosecution. It would be very embarrassing for Fudge, especially after that show you just put on for everyone. A fourteen year old witch, apparating and using limited wandless magic." Mad Eye's artifical eye rolled in a circle. "He'd much rather be bragging about you than trying to put you on the spot for anything."

Edith's lip curled and she forced down a smirk. "That...sounds like a questionable trait for a Minister to have." _And absolutely no less than I expected from him, given his treatment of people like Lucius Malfoy and his love of Rita Skeeter. Nicely put, Flora._

"Hah! Yes, but there it is. Be prepared for a second round with Skeeter at some point; if it makes it easier I'll stand nearby and glower at her. Fourteen year old in the Tri Wziard Tournament. Hah!" Mad Eye seemed oddly pleased at the idea that she was getting away with this.

"Your friends are forming a small army at the doors," Poppy cut in, sounding exasperated. "Please come over here before they break in and trample us all to death. Honestly, doesn't anyone respect the quiet of the hospital anymore?"

"I'll ask Hannah about that," Edith responded with a touch of sarcasm; Poppy smirked and rolled her eyes and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'typical miss Potter' under her breath. Fleur offered the redhead her hand; those mischievous, deadly green eyes flashed brightly as she accepted it and the four champions went out to meet their adoring crowd.

Ginny was first; she reached out and grabbed Edith's arm, beaming. "I knew it! I knew you could handle it!"

"That was AMAZING!" Colin shrieked. "I'm so glad I had my video camera; this is _so_ going on Youtube-"

"Colin, need I remind you that's a breach of the statue of secrecy?" Ron pointed out, though he was grinning. "Though I know what you're on about. That was bloody brilliant, Edith...!"

"You put it to sleep!" Sally choked out through her laughter, slapping Edith on the back hard enough to make the redhead wince. "You rocked it to sleep like a baby – _nobody_ saw that coming, not even the teachers! Even Skeeter was gaping like a fish for a few seconds after you apparated for the first time!"

"You didn't splinch yourself even once," Hannah said, sounding pleased.

"That is so going in the Daily Prophet," Susan threw in, "everyone's going to be talking about it. You didn't even get scratched! Even Fleur didn't manage that!" She balked slightly, remembering who had a hand on her boss's arm at that very moment. "No offense-"

The French girl waved gracefully. "None taken! It's true, isn't it?"

Edith was scanning the crowd when her eyes fell on Natalie MacDonald. The small, pale girl was hanging around near the back, but the redhead could feel those blue eyes staring into her soul. The expression was hard to read...troubled? Curious? Edith's general people senses told her it was more of the latter...and possibly something else.

"Charlie's going to be _so_ impressed!" Ginny remarked, bringing the young conqueror's attention back to the present. "Normally it takes over-"

"-Two dozen highly trained wizards to subdue a grown dragon," Edith finished, having memorized the statistic thanks to Hermione. The bookworm beamed with pride from a few feet away.

"And you did it all by yourself," Ginny finished, grinning.

"I love it when a plan comes together," Edith responded, smirking at the laughter and cheers the line earned from various muggleborns in the room.

 **End Chapter**

 _ **Sorry for the wait, again. I don't want to be a broken record and insist action scenes are hard, because I think I'm actually getting better at them. Not as good as I'd like to be; but better. Plus, Gundam AGE and Gundam 00 happened. Again. Plus Madoka Magica, and Lyrical Nanoha...actually, I've been watching a lot of anime recently.**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	33. Chapter 33

_**Cult Potter**_

 _ **Me: And here comes the shipping, the ball and the shipping...!**_

 _ **Edith: This is a terrible idea. Love is a distraction...love is dangerous.**_

 _ **Me: (snorts) Love is the downfall of dark lords, ones who were otherwise invincible. Love is the thing that causes people to rise from the Dark Side. Hell, Love allows you to blast/drop kick a heart shaped hole through a demonic mobile suit.**_

 _ **Edith: (stares at me)**_

 _ **Me: (grins) Mobile Fighter G Gundam. Look it up. But seriously, Edith - don't underestimate your feelings.**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

 _ **Chapter 32: The Yule Ball part 1**_

"I like this one!" Daphne laughed.

Edith choked, set down her glass and glared at the Slytherin blonde, "Don't you dare!"

"Oh, but it's so sweet!"

"We are not reading fan mail at the lunch table!" Edith protested; Daphne ignored her and cleared her throat. "I will put you on probation, Greengrass!"

"Then I'll read it," Flora cut in with a smirk, "And I know you're in too deep with wandless theory to give up my assistance even for a moment."

"I can always ask Hermione." Edith growled.

"Yeah, and your learning time gets cut in half. Considering your obsession with efficiency and absorbing as much practical capability as possible..." Flora let the sentence hang, grinning when the girl who lived muttered an expletive in shaky French. Dancia chuckled while Daphne was reading aloud, " _-never seen anything like that, it's truly amazing what young people today can do-_ ", Graham leaned forward slightly with a rare grin on his face as he watched the normally composed and cold leader flush a shade of red that matched her hair, Hestia looked guilty for giggling so much, Lilith's lips quirked into what might almost be a smile, Blaise looked like he wanted to read the next one, Tracey was keeled over laughing in her seat, and Ginny just raised an amused eyebrow at Edith's flustered countenance.

It had been over a month since the first task, and Edith's display of power had precisely the results she had predicted – people looked at her with new eyes, calculated. People who had assumed she was nothing more than a lucky trust fund Dumbledore was propping up were forced to re-examine everything, and those who may wish to use her were taken aback by her initiative.

Dumbledore and the teachers had spoken to her about her use of Apparating; but in the end they were forced to concede that the circumstances of the tournament did give her leeway for it. Or, at least, the Headmaster was forced to concede – Snape looked like he was resisting the urge to crow over what his student (and the daughter of his dearest friend) was capable of, while McGonagall and Flitwick looked deeply impressed.

They weren't the only ones. As Moody and Susan had predicted, the Tri Wizard Tournament's extensive coverage resulted in new attention – Fudge wanted his country's icon to 'strut her stuff', the prideful, pompous (useful) politician, for everyone to see. Idly Edith wondered if Narcissa was encouraging that – while the older woman disdained relying on bribes to solve her problems the way her husband had, sweet persuasion was one of the oldest female tools around, and the Black name still carried both weight and fear. Dancia may not have told her mother much about Edith's plans, but Narcissa was older, and more astute than most adults the group dealt with. Edith didn't doubt the woman knew her plans, if not all of them (or _why_ she was carrying them out). She also didn't doubt the woman was something of an opportunist, with her curiosity about Edith (the one who defeated her husband's master as a child) and her friendship with Dancia being the only reasons she was giving her support. But that was just fine.

Edith would prove herself a worthy investment.

Reintroducing Narcissa to Sirius would be an exercise in patience; perhaps she should attempt it over the summer. Maybe having Remus around would smooth things over...

"... _always thought they should teach apparation at least by fifth year, for responsible children of course. No need to impede the learning of those bright enough to handle the material."_ Daphne finished with a delicate flourish. "And that's from a Miss Lamb."

"Great. Lovely. Are you through embarrassing me?" Edith grumbled. "Or should I switch tables?"

Edith was one of the few older students who regularly sat at different house tables during meals. Sometimes she'd be playing Straight Woman to the antics of the Weasley Twins and talking Ron, Dean and Seamus through the nuances of the Gundam series at breakfast; then at lunch she'd be sitting with Susan, Hannah, Megan, Cedric and Cho (she often ate with her boyfriend) while the former ranted about some stupid case that had been dragged in front of her aunt/guardian despite the fact it was _clearly_ garbage. Then at dinner, she'd sit at the end of the Ravenclaw table with Luna Lovegood, asking her questions about creatures who's existence was still debated.

"Oh, but we _must_ brag!" Tracey simpered. "False modesty doesn't suit you, Edith."

"Please...I couldn't have become what I am now without all my friends." Edith said in response, before taking another mouthful of mashed potatoes. "Raw power means nothing without those to push you forward. To be _better_."

Dancia let out an amused sigh. "You're never satisfied with yourself, Edith." The white blonde remarked. "You always want to be capable of more. How far do you think your body and soul can go, climbing for the ability you seek?"

Edith pondered that for a moment, wondering what Dancia was thinking about. The Malfoy heiress didn't go into philosophical tangents much at all; was their steady ascent in power starting to frighten her? "I guess I'll find out, won't I?" She asked.

Dancia nodded minutely, eyes distant. "Yes."

"So why do you suppose the release list for going home on the holidays hasn't been put up?" Blaise asked with some puzzlement. He often went home to visit his mother and her twin siblings. "I don't remember it ever being this late."

"The teachers could just be distracted." Hestia mused. She, too, liked to go home and spend time with her aunt.

"Or it has something to do with the tournament." Ginny suggested, drawing her hair away from her face before helping herself to seconds. "I think Percy said something about a 'Winter Event' after we came home from the Quidditch disaster. He was annoyingly secretive about it."

"Ah, he's _that_ type, huh?" Blaise snorted.

"Yup," Ginny muttered, scowling at her plate. "Percy treats his job with a great deal of pomp. You'd think _he_ was Minister, not Fudge."

Edith made a mental note – when she took over the Ministry, she would demote Percy all the way down to handling the cauldron regulations. Or maybe she'd make him her ambassador to the Antarctica community. Not forever; just until he learned what was really important. There was nothing more insufferable than a small person who thought they were king of all they oversaw.

"I wonder what it could be," Hestia mused, before her eyes lit up. "Oh! What if it's a ball? That would be so lovely! I haven't been to one of those in _years_..."

Flora mimed gagging at the thought, earning herself a reproachful look from both her twin and Tracey. Edith, meanwhile, looked pensive. "It's possible...I suppose a formal event like a ball would go hand in hand with something as prestigious as the tournament." She frowned slightly.

"Finally, someone else who doesn't care for that fru-fru nonsense." Flora said gleefully.

"I didn't say..." Edith found herself _blushing,_ which was absurd, but the idea of a fancy ball suddenly made her realize something. "Well, the thing is – _I can't dance_." She said the words in a rush, almost hoping no one would understand them.

Hestia, however, brightened and clapped her hands together. "Oh, that's not a problem, boss." The dirty blonde Slytherin had picked up some of the muggle terminology, specifically Sally's use of 'boss' in reference to Edith, with ease not usually associated with someone of her relative standing. "Pav, Lavander and I can teach you!"

"Let's make sure, before you get too excited," Edith responded, silently praying that the girls were mistaken about this.

 _ ****~Later that Day~****_

"A ball?"

Edith looked blankly at Professor Snape, who at the very least, didn't seem to be any more enthusiastic about the 'Yule Ball festivities' than she was. "I very much doubt you need me to repeat myself," The man said, his voice dryer than usual. "Unless you're hoping I'm joking, which is a sign the Weasley twins have put something in your drink."

"...What do you think will happen if I don't show up?" Edith asked plaintively.

"Oh, you will show up," Snape responded, though there was a tiny note of sympathy in his voice. "The teachers and the other schools will not have it otherwise. It would be a massive snub."

"But all the legitimate champions would be there! I was thrown in there by some infuriating typo!"

"Nevertheless, you completed your first trial and have earned yourself some significant attention. You can't afford _not_ to go, even if the notion makes you cringe." Snape sighed. "There's more. You'll need a partner to open the dance with."

Edith stared blankly at him. "A partner."

"Don't look so shocked. I merely recommend you pick someone close to your age."

"...Yes sir. Thank you sir."

"Oh, don't thank me yet," Snape said in a tone that suggested he'd be breaking into the firewhisky the night before the dance. If she was any older, Edith might have joined him. "I suggest you get to it, Edith Potter. Especially if you can't dance."

"...Can you, sir?"

"I said, off you go." Snape repeated, an irritated look crossing his face. Edith forced down a smile, nodded, turned and headed back to the library. Tristan barked and joined her at her side from the dorms; she ruffled his collar and let a real smile grace her face.

" _Who is going to have a string of bad luck this time?"_

"What makes you think bad luck has anything to do with it?"

" _Whenever you make that face, Edith, someone is about to have a very bad time."_

"Hm, I don't know about a bad time...at least, not this time." Edith grinned. "In fact, I think it should be funny as all hell to see their faces."

 _ ****~At the Library~****_

"So it is a dance! I knew it!"

"Yeah," Edith strode across the circle and sat down on the unoccupied couch next to Ginny; the group in the circle currently consisted of Megan, Sally, Susan, Ron, Hermione, Hestia, Astoria, Parvati and Padma. The rest of her friends were elsewhere, discussing the new revelation. "And I'll be heading the dance with the rest of the champions. Just my luck. I gotta get myself a dress."

"I know a few places you can order in," Parvati said. "They always make good delivery time in my experience."

"Thanks Pav."

Edith then turned her attention towards Ginny. "But just because I _have_ to go doesn't mean I don't want to screw with the people running the show. And to that end...Ginny, how do you feel about being my dance partner? I'm required to have one for the opening."

Ginny squeaked and did a double take, before staring at the other girl. "M- _me_?"

"Yes! You!" Edith smiled. "Don't worry about getting a dress; I'll cover the expense."

"B-But won't people _talk_ if you take me?!" Ginny stuttered. "People will stare at you and wonder why, and, and...!"

"People stare at me no matter what I do," Edith said with confidence, "and they're already looking at me like I'm some museum display thanks to this blasted tournament. So why not give them something to look at?" She gave the other redhead a critical look. "You don't have to say yes, of course, I was just thinking-"

" _I'd love to!_ " Ginny blurted out, before flushing a shade of red to match Edith's dark hair. "I, I mean...well, yeah. I'll dance with you. Should be fun, right?!"

Edith grinned and clasped her hands. "Great! I'm glad you're willing to indulge me. Flora wouldn't have been impressed if I asked her."

Parvati cheered, "That sounds great, guys!" She tapped her fingers against her cheeks, before brightening. "I know! I know! I'll show up with Lavander! It'll be a show of solidarity." She was blushing slightly as she said this, and Padma raised an eyebrow but didn't make a comment.

"I wonder if Ron will be willing to go," Padma wondered.

"Maybe if he's given something less embarrassing to wear than whatever hand me down he'll be getting in the mail." Ginny suggested shyly.

"Again, I'll handle it." Edith promised. "It's not like money's a problem for me."

Megan snorted in amusement. Sally grinned slyly at the tomboy and said, "How about you run out and ask your boyfriend before he's overrun by his fangirls?"

The black haired girl threw the Hufflepuff a dirty look and snapped, more than a little defensively, "Viktor is not my freaking boyfriend, damn it! God, you eat lunch with someone once and show him where the advanced spellbooks are and no-one ever lets you hear the end of it...!"

"This is so wonderful! The flowers of love are blooming!" Astoria cried happily, throwing her arms in the air like a Texas cheerleader and blithely ignoring the death glare Megan shot her.

"I bet Tracey's going to ask Blaise; the way they obsess over ancient runes together...!" Sally went on, "And I'll bet you literally anything that Hannah's going to ask Neville – oh! Or maybe Neville's finally gotten enough confidence that he'll ask her instead!"

"Do _you_ have a date?" Edith asked curiously.

Sally suddenly looked pensive. "I...hadn't given it much thought. I don't know...maybe I'll ask Terry..." Terry Boot was a Ravenclaw Sally occasionally sat next to in Transfiguration – the boy who lost his arm to Fluffy. He was a charming boy, but not overly intelligent – especially when it came to girls. "Or...maybe...nah. It's nothing."

Edith's mind went to something Tristan had said a year ago, and smothered a chuckle with effort. _Yeah, that probably wouldn't go over well just yet. Daphne's parents are fairly conservative, especially given their status, but I doubt they'd be that open minded...and Sally wouldn't want to get her in trouble._ It was a pity, though, if that was what Sally really wanted... _Social barriers are trickier to dissolve than bad laws themselves. It's a matter of seeing people with certain characteristics break those barriers...then people will start following suit on their own will..._

"Who am _I_ going to ask?" Hestia wondered, somewhat plaintively. "I'd love to go...but..."

"Seamus Finnigen." Edith said bluntly, before laughing at the look of confusion on Hestia's face. "What? Hestia, have you really not wondered why he decided to be your potions partner for the combined class?"

The girl blinked her mismatched eyes twice, before a red tinge entered her cheeks. Hermione giggled and put a companionable hand on her friend's shoulder. The bookworm was content not to go, probably intending to spend the time with Flora, debating muggle and magical exclusive literature.

"How about you get those magazines, Pav?" Edith suggested.

 _ **Two Weeks Later**_

Edith stared at herself in the mirror. Daphne noticed her intensity and rolled her eyes slightly. "Relax, Potter. You look _stunning._ " She emphasized, while running her fingers through various strands of her project's hair and pulling it away from her face. She was tying it back into an elegant braid; a style similar to what her own mother had done for her in previous years.

"And nothing like myself," The Girl Who Lived murmured.

"Nonsense. This is just a different side to you. Something you've never had the opportunity to show off before."

"But I feel...disconnected." Edith said, clenching her hands slightly.

"Most normal people call that nervous," Daphne said dryly, "And it's hardly some exclusive disease you're suffering from."

"You're not worried about Macmillian treating you well?" Edith enquired in concern. Ernie had learned not to mess with Potter or her 'Circle', as they were referred to by the rest of the school body, but Edith had to admit she was surprised when he asked Daphne to the dance.

"No, but I'm still going to a dance with my schoolmates and multiple strangers, all of whom will be watching each other with a mixture of intensity and teenaged awkwardness." Daphne said, flicking the back of her leader's head. Edith scowled while she smirked. "You spend so much time thinking like an adult you forget you aren't one yet, you know."

"...But I've always thought like this."

" _Relax,_ Edith," Daphne said calmly, finally tying the braid at the bottom with a small golden ribbon. "Like you said – it's going to be _fun_." She smirked. "I wonder if Ginny is giving Astoria this much fidgeting and worrying."

"...You sound like you already know the answer to that." Edith noted, twisting her head to give the blonde a curious look.

"Do I?" Daphne smiled innocently. Too innocently. "Now c'mon. You're a champion, you don't want to be late."

Edith rose from her chair slowly, still looking into the mirror. She hardly recognized herself. She was wearing a floor length ball gown that was a deep, royal violet in color with silver trimming. It was a Japanese inspired design, with a dark blue ribbon around her stomach. Silver star shaped clip on earrings twinkled as she tilted her head; a necklace with a sapphire pendant rested just past the dress's neckline. She was wearing white gloves with golden flower designs on them. Her red hair had light silver highlights added to it for the occasion.

"How does it feel to be beautiful?" Daphne teased. The blonde was wearing a gold period dress with lots of frills; given her half embarrassed, half delighted expression when she opened the box her mother must have picked it for her.

"Strange," Edith responded after a moment of thought. "But you make a point about the time. Let's go."

Thank goodness she had managed to convince Parvati not to buy the high heel selection, Edith reflected as she made her way towards the redecorated Great Hall which would be serving as the ballroom for the evening. Or else she wouldn't be able to walk at all. How she and Lavander intended to _dance_ in those shoes, she couldn't fathom.

She drew closer to the entrance of the hall, where Ginny was waiting for her -

And all of a sudden came to a stop a few feet away from her friend, staring at her.

"What is it?" Ginny asked self consciously, shifting from one foot to the other. She did something she hadn't done in Edith's presence for a while; she blushed lightly. "Is something wrong?"

"N-Nothing's wrong," Edith managed after a moment. For some reason, her throat felt dry. "You look – well -"

Ginny had refused to show her friend the dress she had chosen; said it was a surprise. It certainly was... the petite redhead's ballgown was snow white with golden trim; it emphasized her frame in an inoffensive way while still making it clear that she was pretty now...and she'd be gorgeous when she got older. Her necklace was white crystal; not diamond, though it looked quite similar. She wore a ruby studded ring on her left hand – that was a personal gift from Parvati, despite her protests that it cost too much. Her fire red hair was tied back in a ponytail.

"You look beautiful," Edith said softly. Suddenly the world seemed to tilt on its axis for a moment. _Wh-why do I feel strange saying that?_

"You think so?" Ginny asked, her blush deepening a shade. She spun in place once, before bravely looking her friend/mentor/boss in the eye. "You look really amazing, Edith."

"I do think so... ...and thank you."

Music erupted from the Great Hall. "Hey, girls!" Cedric called, a good natured smile on his face. Both Edith and Ginny started, turning around to face him. Cho, who was holding his arm, was smiling in a knowing way usually reserved for Edith herself. "That's our cue. Come on in."

Edith nodded faintly, took a breath, turned back to Ginny and offered her a hand. "Would you like to dance?" She asked. She had heard that line in a period drama once.

Ginny tentatively placed her fingers on Edith's palm, and managed a smile. "Yes. I'd like that."

 **End Chapter  
**

 _ **Hooray for confused feelings! Somebody is just starting to figure out what love is all about, hmm? I haven't fed my inner romantic in nearly long enough... Moar shipping drama is coming right around the corner, folks! Stay tuned and I'll try to update faster!**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	34. Chapter 34

**_Cult Potter_**

 ** _Me: (watches Writer's block drown with a very Bellatrix like look on my face)_**

 ** _Edith: What. Did. You. Do. To. Me?_**

 ** _Me: Welcome to the wide world of non familial love, Edith. (smirks slightly) Have fun._**

 ** _Edith: (backs up) Wha...oh dear..._**

 ** _Me: (chuckles)_**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

 ** _Chapter_ _33: The Yule Ball pt 2_**

 _Suddenly this idea doesn't seem quite so brilliant as it did in my head. And I don't understand why!_

Edith and Ginny walked to the entrance to the re-purposed Great Hall, right behind Cedric and Cho. In front of them were Fleur and an older boy Edith hadn't seen around much, and in front of them were Viktor and a very nervous Megan Jones, who couldn't have looked more out of her element than she did in that moment. There was a great rattle and chat going on inside the large ballroom already; the dancers from the three schools were already arrayed and waiting for their champions to arrive in style. The whole setup was reminiscent of a Jane Austin written dance; at least so Hermione would say when told about it in the aftermath.

Fleur looked radiant in a dark red dress with a French twist at the waist; she had the look of royalty that instantly caught the envy of any girl below her. By contrast her partner Roger looked meek and outshone by her, clearly wondering what caused her to pick him as her escort. Cho looked happy and content in a blue kimono; her Japanese grandmother's purchase she had explained with a smile. Cedric wore a straight dark robe set that Edith privately thought made him resemble Mr Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. Megan, meanwhile, was dolled up in a soft sapphire ballgown with silver floral designs near the helms; Parvati's wise choice since Megan was about as far from fashion conscious as you could get. However it seemed that the younger girl hadn't been able to convince her to wear something more classy than her running shoes, though given that Viktor was using his Quidditch boots which clashed massively with his classy red and silver suit, (he shot Edith a 'what can you do' grin when she noticed) perhaps that didn't matter as much.

 _They're all going to be looking at us,_ Edith thought as she glanced at her partner. _But I already knew that! They always stare! That was part of the point of this! What's wrong with me? I don't doubt plans this early on!_

"Is it too late to run away from Hogwarts?" Ginny mumbled.

"I'd try, if I didn't think the Goblet's magic would summon me back," Edith responded half seriously, her eyes darting to the interior of the ballroom as if expecting it to be infested with monsters.

"It's going to be fine," Cho promised.

"Hahahaha," Megan groaned, standing with the posture of someone trying to maintain their composure while being dragged to the executioner's block. "I'll believe that when I see it."

Cho rolled her eyes affectionately. "I've been through this sort of song and dance before," She said, "And I can tell you, the only thing that could really pose a problem are the reporters. And since Skeeter's been banned from the premises -" Fleur looked very pleased with herself, and Edith let out a satisfied smile. Cho looked suspiciously at the pair before finishing, "all you have to do is smile, project confidence, lead the dance – and this will be a pleasant memory."

"She's right," Viktor assented. "I'd enjoy the Quidditch conventions much more if they weren't swarmed with tabloid fodder."

"You're normally a pretty confident person, Edith." Cedric reminded her. "Just act like yourself."

"You're _sure_ Rita won't show up?" Ginny pressed, glancing all around as if expecting the irritating reporter to appear out of the ether.

"Well don't jinx it, but yes. We're sure." Roger said, glancing at Fleur. His dance partner just snorted delicately and began to walk through the large doors. She was about to push them open herself, when he rushed forward and got them, hoping he looked gentlemanly while doing so.

Edith rolled her eyes in amusement and gave herself a tiny shake. _This is ridiculous. My idea hasn't lost any value since I thought of it a few days ago. This is a foolish place to get cold feet, and there's no reason to._ She began to walk toward the room, holding hands with her partner. The doors swung open. _If people are going to stare, might as well give them something to stare at!_ Fleur and Roger vanished through it first, then Krum and Megan. Cho shot Edith a companionable look before she and Cedric walked through. Finally Edith glanced over at Ginny one last time. The redhead gave her a tiny nod, and they entered the ballroom together.

A slow waltz was playing, courtesy of the upscale orchestra (hired by Narcissa Black) at the front of the room. The room itself was decked out with red and silver banners, and it was already packed with students from all three schools...all of whom had stopped to stare at their champions/their dates. Near the front of the crowd, Edith spotted Ron with Padma and George Weasley with Fleur's friend Maisie near the front of the crowd.

"They're all looking at us," Ginny murmured.

"At all the champions? Or just us?" Edith mused, walking down the stairs.

"I'm pretty sure it's us!"

"It could be all the champions. Let's not get conceited here – I bet Fleur is drawing the most eyes. Men are predictable that way."

Ginny managed a giggle. "Ron nearly blew his dance with Padma when he said she was hot in that dress," she whispered.

"See? Like clockwork. We're not the only thing of interest in this hall." Probably not true. But the less Ginny thought of it, the less she'd worry. If she worried, she wouldn't smile and her eyes wouldn't sparkle with life and mischief. Those were the things that Edith had noticed first about Ginny; really noticed, when her hero worship softened and displayed her real personality.

They reached the floor. Cedric didn't need much prompting to sweep Cho away, to her squeal of delight; Viktor got a slower start, bowing to Megan first before offering his hand. Megan looked torn between bolting (or cursing Hestia for convincing her to come to the ball in the first place) and accepting for a moment, before placing her hand in his and letting him lead her on. She hadn't danced much in her life; while Daphne (and belatedly Professor McGonagall) had given lessons to keep her from tripping over her own feet, her lack of experience was fairly obvious. Fleur and Roger were next; Fleur looking like a classical princess stepped straight out of a Disney movie, Roger the lucky street urchin that had caught her eye. Finally the unexpected champion and her partner were expected.

Ginny visibly swallowed, her eyes flickering around the crowd.

 _It's weird to see Ginny nervous._ Edith thought. _Well, it wasn't too weird in her first year – she was raised on those nonsense fairy tales about me, to the point where she didn't know what to do with the real me. Once she knew the real me – machiavellian, accepting, pushing her to be more than she was, and all my stranger sides of 'heroism' – it was like she became fearless. There's no one she won't confront, nothing that would slant her opinion, no force in the world, magical or muggle, that could break her...and now she's nervous. Like she's regressing into that eleven year old who was too afraid to be anything but what her mother expected her to become._

 _Well I can't have that, can I? That's not the person I care about._

When Edith lead her partner forward, to the floor, she bowed deeply – a traditional male bow, not a curtsy – took Ginny's hand and said in a low husky tone, a voice she hardly recognized as her own, "Don't look at them. Look at me."

Ginny nodded slowly, brown eyes wide as dinner plates. Edith pulled her closer, placing her hands on the small of her back. Some boys at the back of the class whistled loudly; or maybe it was meant to be a whistle, but sounded more like a screech. Their nearest friends 'accidentally' stepped on the various feet of those responsible. Edith felt Ginny shiver. "Look at me," She repeated. Those apprehensive brown eyes jumped back to her face.

And Edith began to move. Her dance started just as swaying, but as Ginny's muscles slowly unlocked she picked up the pace, mirroring more closely what Cedric was doing with Cho.

The waltz picked up speed; Ginny stumbled over Edith's feet, the other redhead's arm around her waist preventing her from falling altogether. "Relax," Edith repeated, swaying and nudging her along. Ginny nodded, her expression taking the same grim determination she reserved for wandless magic training. Edith resisted the urge to giggle at that, knowing it wouldn't help the other girl's nerves.

"When you're Queen of the world," Ginny mumbled, "Can you make school dances illegal?"

Edith's eyes widened, wondering if she was serious or not. "That would make me come across as monumentally petty, wouldn't it though?"

"You'd be _Queen._ They're supposed to be randomly petty and put up laws that only make sense to them."

"Not me." Edith responded with a playful smile. "I'm not going to be Joffery Barantheon."

"Thank god for that," Ginny chuckled uneasily; while she'd never read A Song of Ice and Fire (after all, she _was_ still just thirteen), casual anecdotes about his sadistic lunacy (usually in comparison to various purebloods accused of inbreeding) were a common joke in the Room of Requirement. Usually they were made my Megan or Grant Richter, as one of the rare Slytherin muggleborns. "The only reason he stays in charge is Tywin Lannister." She grumbled.

"I could make a good Tywin," Edith mused, "If I put my back into it."

Ginny shot her a slightly concerned look. "If you cut out what happened to Elia Martell or Tysha," she said. "I mean, you never told me exactly what he did but I know it was bad."

Edith's expression tightened at the reminder. "Oh, don't worry about that. I meant his general style, not the misogynistic terror. In point of fact...I feel terribly sorry for anyone who dares try to employ those tactics against me."

"I don't," Ginny responded flatly; even if she didn't know the fact she recognized the tone.

Their dialogue paused as the dance did. The violins began to croon sweetly; Edith took Ginny's arms and spread them out before turning her in a circle. Ginny ducked and whirled, her red hair sparkling in the firelight; she looked so pleased with herself for completing the move properly that Edith couldn't help but smile with her.

"I don't know what's worse to deal with," Ginny wondered, picking up the step as she adjusted to the dance and got used to the rhythm. Edith smiled encouragingly and there was a scatter of applause among the watching students. "Tywin Lannister, or a couple of Tywin wannabes with delusions and just enough connections to put on a pretense."

"The eternal debate," Edith mused. "I'm inclined to believe the fools do more damage more quickly. They don't feel the need to hide themselves, to blend pragmatism and good attributes to their desires. Because of that, while they may not last long, they do a lot of damage."

"While Tywin is less confrontational, but much harder to get rid of," Ginny followed. "What do you think Voldemort is?"

Edith wasn't able to answer right away; the opening dance had just finished. All the champions and their dances turned towards the crowd and bowed to the polite applause. The musicians then struck up a quicker, more modern beat, and everyone in the crowd began to dance as Edith took Ginny's hands again and began to turn in place with her. Blaise dipped his head at Tracey – not his first choice for the dance, but Hermione had expressed little interest in the event so he asked a friend instead – and lead her to the floor while Parvati and Lavender immediately began rocking at each other, in such a way that nearby boys whistled and cheered. Fleur, unnoticed by her date, visibly rolled her eyes at that, muttering, ' _boys_ '.

"Have no idea how they can dance in those shoes," Edith muttered, side eyeing the three inch heels that the fashionistas were wearing. "Tried them _once_. Couldn't even walk across the room steadily."

Ginny nodded in solemn agreement. "The world may never know," she said.

"To answer your question," Edith brought back, "Honestly...Voldemort's a wannabe. Don't misunderstand me," she added quickly, she knew that Ginny had lost two uncles to the Death Eaters during the war and she was far from the only one, "he's dangerous, and foul, and cruel...but he has the guile of a twelve year old playing Modern Warfare for the first time, and about the same emotional maturity too. He walks straight into traps (like at my birth), he's supposed to be a magical prodigy but he only ever uses two spells, and he's so arrogant that the only reason he ever made any real headway was because he understood people just enough to exploit the society's social caste system." She rolled her eyes. "I mean really; he failed to conquer a cesspool with a terrible government, many of whom agree with him, when people were so afraid of his blatant cruelty they were afraid to say his name. He had literally every advantage, a setup that conquerors would die for, and he _still_ couldn't win. If he were the man he fancied himself to be, he'd be sitting in the Minister's seat right now, not reduced to an incorporeal form because of a baby."

She paused, then let out an angry hiss. "Actually, he died because of my mother, _damn_ the papers for downplaying what she did for me."

Ginny squeezed her hands; Edith let out a soft breath and managed a smile, "Thank you." Their proximity made her warm, very warm...it must be the torches, or the sheer volume of people in the hall... "Sorry, I probably shouldn't still be annoyed by that..."

"Why shouldn't you be?" Ginny asked, frowning. "She was your mother, she loved you enough to defy the power of the unforgivable death curse in a way that no recorded history has recalled before, and nobody in the public acknowledges her role in it. If that were my mother in that position..." She trailed off and huffed. "Well, you can bloody well bet everyone would know it."

Edith leaned forward until their foreheads were touching. "I believe it. If magic could transform Weasley willfullness into fuel, they'd never need to dig for oil again."

Ginny blushed, her nails unconsciously digging into Edith's wrists.

 _Molly Weasley means well by her children. She really does. But she has trouble separating her usually admirable desire for them to be safe with her need to let them live their own lives. Charlie practically had to elope with that dragon tamer girl, Tamara was that her name?, in order to go to Romania and get his dream job because 'dragons are too dangerous to handle'... She lets Bill work for Gringotts, but she frets about his hair and his dragon earring and his willingness to join goblin traditions and rituals. He's one of the few wizards alive to have been given the title 'friend of the goblin nation', but she's too busy worrying about how upper crust cake eaters will sneer at him to properly appreciate it. Fred and George are self explanatory; it's hard for some to appreciate that innovation requires some risk. With Ron, she's so caught up in what he has_ trouble with _that she rarely notices what he's_ good _at – chess, support. He's amazing support, just ask Colin and Dennis. And Ginny..._

Edith withheld a snort of disgust. _She wants Ginny to be like her. A nice, safe housewife. No job, keeping the house, having plenty of kids..._

She paused in the middle of her silent rant. _I'm not entirely sure what I'd do with kids. Of my own. I was never a kid. The only healthy adult family members I have are Sirius and Remus, and sometimes they see me just as much as Lily or James as myself. I don't know if that's an ideal dynamic._ Resisting the urge to snort. _Yeah, because lots of stuff about me is ideal. Like how I've killed a man. Two men, depending on how one looks at the whole Quirrel parasite thing._

Sometimes it was hard to think about what she did to Quirrel as killing. She had wanted to kill him – something deep inside her went very cold, knowing she was facing her mother and father's killer – but hadn't what had happened been his own fault, and he had been attempting to kill her and Sally?

 _Would I be a good mother if I had children? Or would I encourage their darker sides, turn them into weapons the way I have become a weapon against the ills of the world?_

The thought troubled Edith more than she would have liked to admit.

 _Maybe Molly Weasley has a point..._

 _Tch. Yeah. Because Ginny would be super safe as a powerless housewife; in a world where marriage contracts are a thing, where blood purity is vaunted, when she's the bloody seventh daughter of a seventh generation. The jury's still out if that means anything for her magically – I have no tangible evidence yet, she's proficient and powerful, but some am I – but people like Lucius Malfoy signed off those slave agreements for less._

"Edith?"

"Mmm? Sorry?"

"You're staring off into space. Maybe we should take a break?"

Edith noticed that she and Ginny were standing still, while the people around them were still dancing. Hestia and Seamus rushed by, Hestia laughing out loud with her mismatched eyes shining with delight. Edith mentally wished the Irish boy luck when Flora found out about this before nodding. "Yeah, that's an idea...where are the drinks..."

Hand in hand, they walked off the dance floor and over to the refreshments table (manned by a couple of Beaxbatons girls). Edith grabbed a mug of water, wishing again that the wizard world was familiar with Pepsi or any other muggle drink really, while Ginny grabbed some pumpkin juice and a pastry. "One of your brother's?" She asked, just to be on the safe side. After all, the Canary Creams were their most recent invention.

Ginny smirked at the reminder, waving her fingers over the innocent looking muffin. "This one's fine. I wouldn't pick the ones on the upper right though. Wonder how they got them on the – oh, right. Maisie Goodman."

Edith tossed a glance back at the dance floor; George with Maisie and Fred with Angelina. "Saw that coming," she quipped. "Don't tell your mother I introduced them."

"Oh, so throw me under the bus instead," Ginny said, mock indigent. "That's real nice."

"Do you think it'll last?" Edith asked out of curiosity as she watched Maisie trip up George accidentally-on purpose, then shriek with laughter when he pulled her down with him. Something flickered across the redhead's chilly heart as she watched them together; was it desire? Longing, maybe? Lord, she'd been feeling strange all night...

"I'm not certain, but I'd bet on it," Ginny responded, seemingly oblivious to Edith's thoughts. Seemingly, though her hand sought out hers again and their fingers twined together. "You know how they use that twinspeak gag? To freak people out, or annoy them, or misdirect which of them is Fred or George? Well, George blew that off for twenty minutes ranting about 'this bloody French genius' all throughout wandless magic practice. Fred was looking at him like he'd never seen him before."

Edith snickered. "Is that so? Well then. I'll handle the wedding catering."

"I think that would be wise...perhaps not in the spirit of things, but very wise, especially if Auntie Muriel deigns to arrive for it," Ginny's expression became somewhat sour at the mention of the old, cankerous gossip.

"Well if I happen to look away from one of the bowels during something as chaotic as wedding preparation, I'm bound to miss _something_ aren't I?" Edith suggested. Her chest twisted oddly as Ginny let out a very unladylike cackle. "Thought I heard a crack, but I must have dropped something or knocked something over. There were just _so many guests_ to prepare for, I was using just about everything, and two things were on the stove and I could hardly let anything get _burned_..." she mimicked all this with her best butter-wouldn't-melt smile, causing the younger redhead and several nearby listeners to laugh all the harder. She grinned and waved one hand over her head. "There's only _one_ way to deal with annoying, unwanted relatives!"

"Oh really?" Ginny batted her eyelashes in response.

"There are only _two_ ways to deal with annoying, unwanted relatives," Edith amended with a wink, "but some things are less highly recommended than others."

The nearby sixth years kept on chuckling, not knowing why doing so made both girls smirk.

 **With Hannah**

"I should have taken a longer shower."

"You look great, you smell great, and you're dancing just fine, Neville." Hannah said patiently, all while resisting the urge to either bang her head (or her partner's) against the nearest wall (which was becoming rather tempting) until the feelings were beaten straight out of them, or to just plant a violent, Hollywood style 'shut up' on his lips just to make a point. His dark eyes stared nervously into hers. "Do you think I'm lying to you?"

"No, but it did occur to me you're so kind and thoughtful you'd rather spare my feelings."

Hannah rolled her eyes. "I appreciate the angelic comparison, Neville, but I'm a healer. A good healer never looks at a cut and decides not to clean it because it will sting. Therefore, I would not refrain from honestly if I thought you needed it."

"Of course you wouldn't, I mean, I, ugh, can we just pretend I haven't said anything? At all? All evening?"

"Even the part where you said my dress looked pretty?" Hannah was grateful to Parvati, she really was – she may not actively dislike dressing up or playing ball like Flora or Hermione or Lilith or Morag MacDougal of the Ravenclaw beater team, but she wasn't particularly fashion conscious. Thus, the silver, gold trimmed gown with white crystal sequence (and the emerald green butterfly clip in her hair) was a gift, and a very smart one if now Neville's jaw had dropped when he first saw her was any indication.

"Not that part – you're pretty, you really are - Just – just – just everything else." Neville looked like he wanted to melt, suddenly regressing to the nervous boy on the train who's toad had gotten away from him. And goddamn it but Hannah couldn't figure out why. He was wearing dress robes – his _father's_ , of course, may Augusta Longbottom _never_ attempt to let Neville be his own man, oh no, - and he looked good, but he'd look better if he acted natural.

Hannah shook her head slightly and resisted the urge to sigh. She liked Neville, she really did. He was her constant partner in Herbology, had been since first year when she had gotten herself in trouble with one of the enchanted Flytraps. He'd gotten it to let go of her arm in a few seconds, no problem, to the point of impressing Professor Pomona. Ever since then, Hannah had been watching him. As he grew more, as he learned battle and stood up for himself, she found that she really liked what she saw in him. But her attempts at subtle hints had gone directly over his head, as she had all but cried to Susan a few nights ago. She was pretty certain that if _she_ hadn't asked _him_ to the ball, he wouldn't have gone at all.

 _What Hannah didn't know was that Neville had spent an hour pacing around the Gryffindor Common Room, begging Ron and Dean and Seamus for advice on how to talk to a brilliant, sophisticated, sweet and charming mediwitch in training who seemed to see him more as a patient than an equal, and ask her out as an equal. Given the other boys lack of tact, self questioned sexuality, and agonized distraction over his own crush (respectively), they hadn't been much help._

"I wish you weren't afraid of me," Hannah said quietly.

"I'm not afraid." Neville said lowly, staring at his feet. "It's just – it's just – the Healer thing."

"What?" Hannah asked in confusion.

"The Healer thing," Neville repeated, he was about to bail out of this conversation again when he caught Susan Bones glaring at him over the shoulder of her own date, but he took a deep breath and forged on, "Sometimes – well a lot I think – I don't think you're doing it on purpose, really – I feel like you look at me like I'm one of your patients. Like – like –" He struggled for a minute, a little frantic – he was definitely going to offend her if he didn't frame this carefully - "-like I'm just somebody you've got to help, got to fix. Like that." He bowed his head, ashamed.

Hannah put one hand over her mouth. "You think that's how I see you?"

"No! I – I don't think you do it in purpose – it's just – it's all me – I'm insecure, I don't think I'm good at much, but I think I'm getting better."

"I'm sorry!" Hannah blurted out, mortified. "God, how long do you think I've been condescending at you? That's not what I've wanted to project at all."

"You're not condescending!" Neville rushed to reassure her, desperately grateful they were off on the fringes of the dance floor so there weren't many people to overhear this. "You mean well by it, I know that, and its-" he blushed fiercely for a second before saying, "it's kind of nice to have someone worry about _me._ Edith does it too, but not as consistently as you. That's fine, she's got a lot on her mind and a lot to deal with; especially right now. But you've always kept one eye on me and that's nice."

He moved his hands to her shoulders, she squeaked in surprise but didn't pull away as he had feared she would. "I guess it's, well, I don't want you to always feel like you've got to help me." He explained. "I want to be your equal, and sometimes I'd like to look after you. I, I can't really do that if you see me as one of your patients."

Hannah stared down at her shoes. "I never thought you were – s-some sort of invalid," she mumbled, looking so abashed Neville felt horribly guilty for bringing it up. That face simply wasn't meant to look sad! "I...I look at you like that because I see so much in you Neville. So much good, so much bravery and courage and kindness, but it's like you're afraid to wield it openly. I only wanted...for you to feel like you could."

Neville was abashed and silent for a second. It was one thing when Edith encouraged him; she was a sister, a mentor, the best friend he'd never had before. Hannah was different. Hannah was pretty, Hannah admired him as he was. Hannah didn't look at him and want him to be Frank Longbottom; it wasn't because she didn't know him or what he'd done but because she thought that who _he_ was, was good enough.

So Neville firmly told his nerves to go away and pulled Hannah into a hug; the heather haired girl squeaked again as her face turned red. "Thanks Hannah. I hope I can be that guy. He sounds cool."

"...You already _are_ that guy," Hannah mumbled against his chest.

Neville backed up a bit, not sure he'd heard her right – Hannah suddenly lunged forward and kissed him on the lips. He stood there, frozen as stiff as if he'd been petrified by Ama, as she pulled away a few seconds later and said that she'd get them drinks.

 **With Susan**

"Bloody finally," Susan said with a mixture of annoyance, exasperation, and the sort of pleasure typically reserved for a fangirl who's favorite movie project had _finally_ hit the theaters after years of executive meddling. "I thought he'd never take the hint. You know when she first tried to ask him on a date, he thought she wanted to pick flowers for a _project_? How? How are men this thick?"

"I can't speak for most men," Terry Boot said wryly, his one natural arm wound around Susan's waist as they slow danced to Mozart. A new project from St Mugo's allowed him to have a new arm grown for him, but it was still part prosthetic (with metal instead of bone for the most part) and it took some care not to squeeze too tightly whenever he used it. "But sometimes it's not because we're thick, it's because we don't think we're good enough for you."

Susan clicked her tongue. "I think that's for us to decide though, isn' it? Here's something to spread through the grapevine; if a girl is looking your way, and you don't think you're good enough, it's probably already crossed her mind." She raised an eyebrow. "Got that?"

"I'll pass it on though Brown and Patil," Terry said with a slight grin, accepting the shoulder slap he got in return with stride. "Hey, I'm not bashing them, I'm just making the observation that if you stuck a recorder under one of their chairs when they get talking, you'd get enough gossip to keep _The Quibbler_ happy for a couple generations."

"And men never spread rumors. Especially when someone's turned them down," Susan said dryly.

Terry winced slightly and remarked, "Never said that. For the record, I think Zach was being a huge dick about that." Zacharias Smith's breakup with Melody Clearwater hadn't gone smoothly to put it politely; Melody had thought he was too stuck up. Zach took that to mean she preferred the company of girls and spread the rumor accordingly.

"I know – I'm sorry, I didn't mean to accuse you. It's just gets to me when a fellow 'Puff gets targeted like that. Melody doesn't swing that way; it doesn't bother her that some people do, but she found the rumor really embarrassing."

Susan and Sally had come across Melody crying in the library with only a letter from big sister Penelope to comfort her. With a little help from F&G's wiretap, they shut the rumor down real fast (Tristan took care of Zacharias) but the third year was still really shaken up by it.

"Apology accepted; I know you didn't mean to. I figured Cedric's mothering was rubbing off on the rest of the house." Terry nodded in the direction of the 'official' Hogwarts Champion, who was still spinning a delighted Cho in circles.

"Now there's love," Susan said with admiration. "I don't think I've seen two people so crazy about each other."

"Nobody, really? Not Potter? Not her about anyone?"

Susan knew what he was getting at and snorted, blowing a strand of her shoulder-length black hair away from her face. "Edith's so caught up in her mini Alexander the Great shtick that she's just starting to realize that romance is a thing. I expect it to bowl her over with its unpredictability, but it'll be a while before she's well and truly 'crazy' about someone." She paused. "At least, that's my prediction."

Terry glanced over towards Edith and Ginny, who were venturing back onto the dance floor, pointedly only paying attention to each other as people whispered, pointed and whistled despite consistent 'discouragement' from certain 'friends'. "You sure?"

"She thought it would be funny, and stick it to certain people, if she showed up with her best friend instead of some boy." Susan said.

"She's certainly succeeding," Terry noted. "But they're enjoying themselves quite a bit for 'friends', aren't they?"

Susan blinked, and looked more intently at the dancing couple. "Huh. Maybe Edith _is_ smiling more than usual...but hell. It's kind of hard to tell with her. She's got a poker face you wouldn't believe."

"Hey, she got past the dog that bit my arm off. I'll believe more than most people."

Susan giggled and immediately felt bad for doing so. "Oh god I shouldn't find that funny. Sorry Terry."

"Sorry? For what? They told me not to go to the third floor. My own fault I didn't listen." The boy grinned when Susan tried and failed to stifle further chuckles at that. "Besides, now I get to make up epic stories to impress chicks with. Chicks dig scars."

"(snort) Of course."

"I'm a Man and I know it." Terry winked, causing Susan to snicker. At that point, the Mozart cut out and was replaced with something modern – and with a much quicker beat. He held her hands and pulled back, grinning when she laughed and they picked up the pace...

 **With Hestia**

"you look nervous," Seamus noted. "Are you getting tired, Hestia?"

 _Tired? No, I'm not tired. I'm just a girl dancing with a boy for the first time and you haven't brought up my mismatched eyes or the fact that my wrists are all scarred up or that I'm really skinny despite having a healthy diet. I'm nervous that you'll notice these things, or that when you look at me you'll look into me and see all the things I want to hide from and forget about, see the things that make me dirty and scary and not somebody you'd want to stay near -_

Hestia forced herself to cut off that runaway train of thought the way Flora and auntie Ana had been teaching her ever since her parents were arrested. _You are not dirty or broken. You are a witch and a woman and damn anyone who thinks otherwise._ "I guess I am, a little. I mean, I can't remember the last time I went to a dance like this. But it's fine-"

"Hey, don't worry about it," Seamus cut off her abortive apology with a nervous smile. It gave Hestia a little warmth. This was making him nervous too? "I don't mind at all. In fact I'm a little thirsty, so how about we drop over there for a second...?"

"Alright." Hestia nodded and smiled, and they left the dance floor hand in hand. At least she wasn't trembling. She'd thought that her friends were playing some sort of trick on her when they said Seamus might like to go to the ball with her – but lo and behold, not an hour later he had asked her! It was almost like he'd just been waiting for her to be in a different room from Flora when he asked or something, but that was neither here nor there. Flora intimidated most people her age – and a good number of those older – into convulsions.

"Do you dance much?" Seamus asked curiously as they paused at the concessions table. Hestia took a mug of cocoa with a smile while her partner drank a gulp of water.

"Sort of. I mean, I've had a lot of opportunities too, but..." _But they were at pureblood dances, surrounded by mercenary men twice my age, and I was always filled with the desire to run and hide rather than enjoy myself._ "...I didn't really enjoy myself much. I think it was because I didn't know a lot of the people I'd meet there."

"So this is better?" Seamus said with a hopeful note in his voice.

"Oh, much better," Hestia promised, too embarrassed to look at him for a moment. She hadn't meant to dump that on him. "It was very nice of you to dance with me."

"Ah, it's nothing, don worry." Seamus beamed. "My mama taught me to be good to girls, and I know you're smart and real nice. Nicer than some of the girls in Gryffindor, not coun'in Brown and Patil, and somehow I don' think they'd've been interested if I asked." He tipped his head in the direction of said girls. "Other than that, there're a couple of Quidditch crazy beaters and this chick name Vane-" he shuddered. "-nah, wouldn't wish _her_ on anyone, no sir."

"Vane, Vane...Romilda, you mean?" Hestia thought about the dark haired Gryffindor and frowned. There was something in that girl's eyes that set her nerves on edge; she was glad that Seamus seemed to see it too. "Potions and History, I think, that one?"

"The only one," Seamus said sourly. "The fact that she's good at potions makes me nervous, to be honest with ya. I think she likes the idea of bewitching the mind and ensnaring the body, as Pr'fessor Snape put it."

"Then let's not talk about her," Hestia decided, though she kept that fact in the back of her mind.  
"Let's talk about something nice. Like...are they _ever_ going to switch from Mozart? I mean really! I wish Edith hadn't introduced me to muggle rock music. Before I just _thought_ the classical selection they show us kids was limited and repetitive. Now I _know_ it is!"

Seamus snickered. "I know! But it's _high class,_ Hestia! What else would they play at one of the oldest institutions in magical Britain?"

"Something more _fun_?" Hestia suggested, a tad more grumpily than she intended. But Seamus's laugh raised her spirits.

"Too bad it's a live band instead of one of those muggle stereo systems. Then we could have snuck back and changed the channel!" Seamus said. Hestia smiled at that; the first time she'd seen a stereo was when she went to Edith's place over the summer. The girl who lived had installed a concert sized one in the music room on the third floor; and fun times were had by all.

 **With Daphne**

She was not constantly glancing at Sally Anne Perks. She really was not.

Daphne Greengrass was a pure blood girl; while she was no preening deluded fool like Parkinson she did keep a certain aristocracy about her. She liked it that way, only letting it down when among her most rustic friends. She did not stare. She did not let her attention wander constantly from what was right in front of her (specifically, her dance partner). Therefore, she was certainly not paying more attention to the hufflepuff muggleborn than her date.

Really. She wasn't.

The fact that she trod on Macmillian's toes when she spotted Sally dancing with Astoria was purely a continued reminder that her faction didn't particularly trust or like him. That and her other typical prospects were narrowed down to Weasley (taken) Nott (he wishes) or some other older boys that she had no interest in. That. Was. All.

Right?

Daphne's eyes skittered over to Edith and Ginny, gleefully spinning each other in circles, both now fully comfortable in their skin and on the dance floor. Edith had asked Ginny to the dance largely as a joke, to make a point to the irritating idiots in charge of this tournament. The fact that they were having so much fun, it was because they were close friends. Right?

Ernie turned her in place; he didn't notice her stepping on his feet because he wasn't a great dancer to begin with. Daphne ignored his feeble attempts at conversation as her eyes slid over to Sally.

Sally swayed like a flower in the wind; her hips moving as she lifted Astoria off her feet and held her in the air for a moment. Her dress was a deep magenta, offset by reds and golds, and it fit her perfectly – not that she expected anything less from Parvati, who was all but psychic when it came to measurements and the female body. Sally was beaming brilliantly, laughing with her little sister, and she looked up and those soft gray blue eyes met hers, something flashing in them.

There's nothing to think about.

 _There's something to think about._

 **With Fred, George and Maisie**

"I think it's safe to say the creams are a smashing success! Look, mister Goyle came back for more!"

Maisie was trying not to laugh at the misfortune of a younger boy. She really was! But what else was she supposed to do when the great bullying crock ate a canary cream, got transformed for thirty minutes...and then came back, learn precisely nothing from it and managed to get _another_ one? George had clarified that this was no new behavior from him, but _seriously_!

"There's so much more that we have available," George promised her, "some of it's still in the trial stages, but most of our wares are ready to hit the rack. Once we've got our own shop."

"You invented it? All of those things you told me about?" Maisie said, caught somewhere between someone seeking clarification and awe when she remembered what some of these things could do on a conceptual level.

"Me and Gred." George answered, enjoying the determined look on Maisie's face as she looked at him with the intent of memorizing any detail of his face that could help her distinguish him from Fred. He was kind of looking forward to seeing if she could; while it was fun and amusing that so few people could, it could get a little awkward if a potential sweetheart got them confused...

 _Nah._ Maisie seemed pre-tty smart to him. He liked what he saw of her...all of it. _Not that he dared say that out loud yet. You don't get into that kind of flirting until at least the third date._ Besides, all the pretty faces in the world wouldn't interest him if they weren't smart too.

"Can I see? I don't think anyone will notice if we leave the dance a little early," Maisie batted her eyelashes hopefully.

 _Yeah, today's a pretty good day._

 **With Ron**

Ron was inordinately pleased with himself; he had a dance with a beautiful girl who seemed interested in him and he only put his foot in his mouth once or twice, and even then he didn't manage to piss her off enough to dump him. Ron knew that he had some tact problems, despite his best efforts to stay on top of them. In fact, despite what some might think, Ron had a pretty good (depressing) catalog of the problems he often walked headfirst into.

However, he was doing pretty well tonight, and he was kind of glad of that. Padma wasn't the type to suffer fools quietly, so the fact that she had stuck around him for a few hours, and honestly seemed somewhat interested in his responses to the topics she raised, was probably a good sign.

Especially since he'd stepped on her toes a couple times. Well, maybe more than a couple. Despite the best efforts of both Daphne and McGonagall, he was still in the 'barely passable' league when it came to dancing. Ron knew there was very little he did gracefully. But Padma brushed off his apologies with a small reassuring smile; she could probably tell it was his first serious dance...

 _No, do not go down the self recrimination, angst and doubt hole. It brings out all your worst qualities, Weasley!_

Okay, that was Edith paraphrased. She tended to be more delicate when talking about flaws in her friends. But again, Ron was not a delicate person.

 _This night's actually been pretty fun._

 _Maybe the year will go up from here..._

 **Back with Edith**

Finally Edith was done with the noise and the crowd, so she left for the gardens with Ginny in tow. The younger redhead was still laughing and high on the buzz and adrenaline of the dance, partially leaning on the smiling but steady older girl for support. "Man," she panted, "and to think McGonagall looked disapproving when the western style music started...! If she thinks that's on the edge of indecent, she'll have apoplexy when introduced to western pop!"

" _You're too young to be watching and listening to such things! My goodness!_ " Edith said with a passable mimic of McGonagall's most serious voice. Ginny burst into another giggle fit, though not before glancing over her shoulder to make sure they hadn't been heard. "Yeah, that introduction should probably be put on hold..."

Ginny squeezed her hand as they walked by a rose bush. Edith smiled, told her heart to quit skipping like that because it was starting to hurt and she didn't understand it, and took a deep breath. "Ahh...a clear sky and quiet. No better way to end a night like this."

"If you've got nothing else on your mind," Ginny agreed, suddenly sobering up a bit.

"Eh?" Edith glanced at her, uncertain.

"C'mon. if...if I've been the only one who's been feeling funny all evening, tell me now, Edith, and I won't bring it up again."

"Feeling...funny?" _Oh dear._ "What do you mean?"

Ginny gave her a Weasely patented _you bloody well know what I mean_ look, the one usually reserved for the twins when they tried to claim plausible deniability.

Edith opened her mouth and then shut it; that all consuming nervous feeling coming back in a rush. "It's not just you." She said flatly. "But I don't know what any of it means, Ginny."

"I do." There was something dangerously fragile in Ginny's eyes; something Edith had never seen – or had seen, but completely misunderstood, for quite a while. "It scares me, but it scares me more to think that it might scare you. Or that...or that you won't want anything from it."

"Want – scared of – speak English, Ginny! Why would you be scared of _me_?" Edith asked, exasperated.

Ginny simply stared at her in silence for a moment. Then she let out a tiny sob.

Before a startled Edith could ask what was upsetting her, Ginny suddenly shot forward a few steps and kissed the girl who lived hard on the lips. A few seconds later she pulled back, gasped, mumbled "I'm sorry" in a tiny voice before turning around and running away.

Edith had no idea where she went. Slowly she raised one hand to her burning lips, her heart pounding and mind in disarray. Her first coherent thought, standing alone in the evening?

 _That felt good._

Then...

 _That was...Ginny...?_

 **End Chapter**

 ** _Yup! Hopefully that was as uncertain and awkward as I hoped it would be. I mean, c'mon guys - I love romance as much as the next person, but you gotta remember our favorite characters are fourteen (thirteen in Ginny's case) at this point! I kind of chuckle and roll my eyes when I read a story that has Harry/fem!Harry jump straight to 'I am secure with true love!' at this point, rather than panic and freak out (like I did, when I got my first crush - seriously, I couldn't look him straight in the face even though he barely knew I existed) and fret over what this intense new feeling means._**

 ** _(pause) To be honest, I was originally planning for Sally to be Edith's first love before the Daphne connection jumped out at me; who knows, maybe I'll touch on it again in the future. But for now, we've got Edith and Ginny - extra e cookies to those who caught the hints!_**

 ** _Read and Review please!_**


	35. Chapter 35

_**Cult Potter**_

 _ **Me: It's finally happened - I am FINALLY OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL! HELL YES!**_

 _ **Ginny: (winces and lifts hands off ears) Lovely. Very happy for you. Now get on with the story.**_

 _ **Me: So you want me to follow your emotional turmoil? You're a weird girl Weasley.**_

 _ **Ginny: What? It's better than being stuck in the epilogue.**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

 _ **Chapter 34: Prologue to the Second Task**_

"Okay, am I imagining things, or are Edith and Ginny avoiding each other?"

Flora glanced up from her book – _The Lightning Thief,_ a recommendation from Sally _–_ to look weirdly at Megan. While Flora generally didn't pay attention to such things, sometimes even in the context of their underground mini revolutionaries, she wasn't completely out of the loop – and that struck her as a double negative. "Eh? What do you mean? Ginny's practically Edith's second in command. Why would they be avoiding each other?"

"Well they _are_ ," Megan insisted. "It's been that way since the Yule Ball."

Flora blinked, turning her eyes towards the entrance to the library. Sure enough, Edith had arrived with Hestia and Daphne in tow, but no sign of Ginny. "Huh. Must be because of that damn article." She sneered. "Nott won't be making _that_ mistake again."

Megan grimaced. Despite Rita Skeeter being banned from the premises of Hogwarts, with Edith and Fleur both putting considerable effort into assuring the adults that she was _not_ welcome, she'd somehow gotten extensive coverage of the night of the ball. Potter's Collective (as they were called by some members of the faculty) hadn't known about this until the ill advised howlers/booby trapped letters had come in a few days ago. Fred and George had checked their wiretap and let Edith know that Nott, Parkinson, McLaggan and Smith had all been talking to Skeeter at some point over a few days, but the woman herself had not been on the grounds – only Hogsmeade, whenever she could dodge the people who would throw her out.

Fleur had been all but breathing fire. Edith, on the other hand, had gotten so mad she was completely silent for nearly an hour after reading it – something that was so frightening that the first years were unwilling to go near her. It wasn't hard to see why.

" _...The devious Jones, a muggleborn with a historical brutish personality, had somehow gotten the famous Krum's attention – supposedly through a commonality connection...others say it's because she's more 'developed' than some of her fellow students at her age..."_

" _...food at the delicacy table was deliberately spiked with a macabre concoction that forces a transfiguration, the blame was placed directly on two of Potter's various 'hatchet men', who are already infamous for their 'pranks'..."_

" _...seemingly determined to make a scene; Edith Potter arrived at the mid tournament ball not with a date, but with her very_ female _best friend – Ginny Weasley, the youngest of seven and the first female in a famously poor family has seen in generations. Potter claims this is merely to remind everyone that she is not, in fact, a proper contestant, but the way the twosome danced together leads me to believe that to be hogwash. Such intimacy suggests a different motivation...whether on her behalf, or Weasley's; the younger girl never raised her own reasons for going along with the 'deception'...though given that family's tendencies towards societal norms, perhaps she is simply reveling in the scandal her desire may bring..."_

Flora had read the article from start to finish. Not just out of morbid fascination (though that was a part of it), but in order to get sufficiently pissed off enough to put the fear of god in certain four idiots before she even started threatening them. Everyone was upset by the rag. Hestia, who had left the ballroom so happy, had been distraught. Ginny – a good friend of Flora's – had hardly been seen outside of class since then, thanks to several Howlers and one pus filled trap letter that had arrived after the article's initial publication. Daphne was worked up about something and was avoiding Sally as a result – that Flora had managed to work out on her own – while Sally was trying to calm Edith down.

"I think a lot of it has to do with the article," Megan said, "but I'm starting to wonder if Edith got more than she bargained for after dancing with Ginny."

Flora tiled her head away from her book again, brow furrowed. "The hell's that supposed to mean?" Then she blinked. "Wait, you think the boss is gay?"

Megan shrugged. "Or bi. Either or is possible. She just didn't realize it until now."

"Is that really something that just comes out of nowhere and punches you?" Flora said dubiously. "I thought you'd have to figure that out over time."

"It's different for everyone. I'm wondering 'cuz the first time I saw boys as neither a nuisance of a source of competition, it was when my grade school teacher partnered us together when I was ten and made us dance. I got this kid who was nervous around me, but very nice. All of a sudden things seemed different." Megan said with an air of melancholy. She sighed. "You know I had to get pulled from my grade school after I got my letter saying 'hey, you're a wizard! Come time travel to the fifteenth century and learn to turn cups into frogs!'. I haven't seen any of my muggle friends since then, and I've barely seen my parents. Is there really no day school for magic?"

Flora snorted and turned a page before answering. "If there was, that would imply that the people who set up the schools thought that the kids they were suckering into their magical candyland might not _want_ to stay there forever and ever." She said dryly. "What could be better than being in a magical land twenty four seven?"

"If I could bring my _parents_ to said magical candyland?" Megan suggested bitterly. "You know, without having to worry about them getting mind raped whenever they were inconvenient to somebody on the street?"

"But that would interfere with wizard _culture_ ," Flora mimicked with a sneer. "And if muggles knew more about magic, they could possibly _turn you in for using it on them_! And who would wand _that_?" She leaned back in her seat. "But hey, think of it this way – it used to be worse."

Megan looked darkly at her. "Yeah. Read about that. It used to be standard issue to just _take_ muggleborns from their families and make their parents forget all about them. And you couldn't marry muggles, they were treated like unwanted immigrants – that didn't stop until the 1930s, and that was thanks to Grindelwald."

"Ironically enough," Flora agreed sagely. "You know there are actually some people who want to go to the other extreme? You know, have everyone marry muggles so all the children of the world are magical – and that would be the nice, clean, friendly way of doing it. Everything would be _purfect!_ "

Megan shuddered violently. "You are giving a scarily accurate echo of my preschool teacher when you strain your voice like that. Please stop, it's giving me flashbacks."

"Preschool?" Flora echoed blankly.

"Preschool? You know, it's like the school with training wheels on, and with more playtime?" Megan paused almost before she finished her question, remembering what sort of people Flora's 'parents' were. "I guess that's not standard issue in the 'high society' around here."

"High society..." Flora spat the words out venomously. Her fingers whitened as she clutched the cover of her book. "What a fuckin joke. There's nothing noble about the noble houses; they're just a bunch of well dressed thugs and criminals and people _way_ more messed up those 'primitive muggles' they hate so much."

"People like that don't have a good sense of irony," Megan agreed before quickly going on, "But anyway, we got side tracked – I think Edith and Ginny are avoiding each other because they've just figured something out they don't know how to deal with."

Flora placed one hand on her forehead. "I'm sorry Megan, but you're talking to the wrong person," she said bluntly. "The only thing I know about love is Hestia, and despite the best efforts of the donors who brought us to life I'm not crazy enough to mix that kinda love with what you're suggesting. I wouldn't know it unless I saw it straight up and my ability to read people only stretches to when they're lying or when they're planning to stab me in the back. Positive stuff is Tia's game, or Tori's, or Sal's."

When it came to Flora, nicknaming was a sign of trust and affection. Originally only Hestia had a nickname, but Astoria's spirited nature and Sally's stubborn paladin sincerity got under enough of Flora's barriers that she started nicknaming them as well. Edith was 'Boss', though that was a bit more impersonal – Flora liked, respected and admired Edith, but so far that friendliness wasn't quite so intimiate. Plus the name was originally Sally's.

"I'm not much for it either," Megan confessed, sitting on the edge of the table and ignoring the Price's disapproving look as she did so. "You know when Krum asked me first, I thought he was making fun of me or something. It was only when he kept up, after shooting down a bunch of his fangirls, that I realized he was serious."

"Why's that?" Flora asked, curious despite herself. Her world had always demanded coldness and strength to ensure her survival. Megan, as far as she knew, had a positive and accepting family – mixed with both muggles and wizards, given her little cousin Pritchard came from one of those 'noble houses' she lived to despise.

"My dad's an army man," Megan said. "He lives to serve his country. I'm damn proud of that. I always wanted to emulate him. But when you're a girl, that's harder. I always had to prove myself, when I was little, and even when I didn't I stuck out – I acted so differently from everyone else."

"Kind of like Hermione?" Flora asked.

Megan's lip twitched. "Hermione has the advantage of being able to ignore people with this great dignity. That was not me. I always took it personally, no matter how many times my teachers told me to 'take the higher road'. I got into fights, all the time, and after a while I was pretty good at it. Mom wasn't too impressed, but dad encouraged it. 'You gotta stand up, push back. You can't run or turn away forever.'"

"Funny. My mother's been saying stuff like that a lot recently."

Flora and Megan both inclined their heads towards Tracey, who had just arrived in the library. She had an armful of ancient rune textbooks – three years ahead of her grade, naturally – and the redhead looked somewhat contemplative. "I think she's trying to tell me something, actually." She confessed. "Something serious."

Flora, realizing she wasn't going to get back to her book for a while now, put a bookmark in its place and put it down while Megan asked, "Why's that?"

"Something you gotta know about the 'high society' Megs," Flora began, pausing for a second when Megan shot her a surprised and gratified look at her new nickname. "Women aren't expected to talk about 'fighting' or anything 'uncivilized' like that. No, if you're a woman in high society, I guarantee you've got a marriage contract that specifically stipulates whether or not you can get a job once you've given your husband X number of heirs to his estate."

"And what the fuck for?" Megan demanded. "Hermione made a point about women in history doing big things – half of the Founders they're so proud of were women, _and_ the heads of those precious family lines! Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw!"

"I think everyone knows that," Tracey began, dropping her books on the table and sitting in one of the couches. "but since the family name is traditionally transferred through the son, people worried about heirs grew to have certain expectations."

"The sooner we set that on fire, the better." Flora said bitterly.

Tracey nodded. "There used to be a purpose for our traditions," she said with a sigh. "they were about the community, about our history, about bringing new witches and wizards into our world. But now they're diluted, transformed into shackles." She locked her fingers together over her stomach. "Did you know that there is a blood ritual and magical bonding allowing for two witches to carry each other's children? Or for two wizards to blood adopt a child and make him or her biologically theirs?"

"N...No, I did _not_ realize that," Megan said with awe.

"Of course not," Tracey said dully. "Because high society considers those relationships 'unworthy of true contracts'. They're meant to be side pieces, 'boys enjoying themselves' or 'girls distracting themselves' (usually from how awful their prearranged marriages are, not that those codgers would admit it), but not for 'proper' marriage."

"Then Skeeter blatantly implying that in that bullshit article – true or not – is going to cause problems for the Boss and Ginny?" Megan realized, her fists clenching.

"In some places," Tracey responded unhappily. "And we can't do anything about it until we can figure out how Skeeter keeps sneaking into Hogwarts. I thought the wiretap would be more useful, but so far we've only found the people she's talked to."

"It's a start," Flora disputed.

Tracey's lips twitched into a smile. "Did you really threaten to freeze Smith's balls off?" She asked.

Flora rolled her eyes. "He nearly pissed himself. I don't know why; after the incident with Melody I'd bet they're so small he wouldn't even notice they were missing."

Tracey let out a very unladylike cackle in response; she was quickly joined by Megan. Flora watched with a critical eye. The friendship between the two of them was definitely pulling Tracey away from her 'proper lady' roots; the blonde girl was willing to bet that's why Alys Davis was starting to change her dialogue towards her. What varying information Flora knew about Alys (it was her job, given the history she was saddled with, to know about the dark, dank rungs of society) pointed to her marriage being prearranged as well. Perhaps she figured that if Tracey picked up enough of Megan's personality, she would become undesirable to various 'suitors'.

Flora wouldn't put all her bets on that. The Davis family's 'pure blood' went back six generations; after the first war with Voldemort there were much fewer families who could boast that with living heirs. The Black family had been 'lost' to Dumbledore's side (Edith's side, really) and Sirius had not responded to any of the 'invitations' he'd gotten from his former social circle after he was exonerated and released from Azkaban. (Edith was on the prowl for a suitor for her godfather, but she had very different motivations – and she certainly wouldn't pick anyone who thought the Blacks were 'worthy' of them). Tracey's lack of a contract in her immediate future could probably be put down to Klaus trying to find a contract that would allow his only heir to carry on the family name through her second, third of four child. Or he mistook her friendship with Blaise as her seeking a husband on her own accord.

"I wish I could have been there," Tracey said wistfully. "I mean, Edith's been teaching us to defend ourselves since Second Year, but we haven't run into a real gauntlet since -" She lowered her voice "-since first year. I mean, we can spar with each other, but it's just not the same."

"Tell you what," Flora responded with a smirk, "You and Megan can tag along the next time the wiretrap buzzes. I leave you someone to play with."

"You think Nott's stupid enough to try and reach Skeeter again? After you put him in the hospital wing?" Megan wondered aloud.

"When your family is _supposedly_ ten generations magical, the number of functioning braincells in your head is correspondingly low." Flora snarked. She knew for a fact that the official Nott family tree was fabricated – they had muggle 'breeders' in there at least twice in the last three generations. For obvious reasons. "Though its possible there's a new snitch in Hufflepuff."

Megan's eyes narrowed. "The worst part is I think you're right. While half of my housemates are on the up and up, there's still a half that's bitter and believes that Boss is somehow stealing Cedric's thunder. Even with the blatantly obvious setup."

"Anyone you suspect in particular?" Tracey asked.

Megan frowned and kicked her heels as she thought. "Hmph...Smith has some 'friends', if you can call them that, despite his shitty attitude. More like hanger's on. He's got them because he claims his family's descended from Helga Hufflepuff."

"His little sister isn't so bad." Tracey mused. "Sweet little Cecilia. She's been spying on me while I experimented with runes for a while now. Too intimidated to ask a snake what she's up to, but she likes what she sees."

Megan waved a hand. "Yeah, I know about her. Shy little thing. Probably a defensive mechanism growing up with him. Wasn't about to accuse her. In fact, if you can corrupt her all the better for it. Nah, I'm thinking about some of the seventh years."

Flora clicked her tongue. "Their last year at school and their chance at seeping on Cedric's 'glory' is being 'stolen' by a snake. Yeah, that's a safe bet. Anyone in particular you've got your eye on?"

"No, but closer investigation will probably help." Megan frowned. "For that matter, what about Slytherin? Aren't they evenly half and half on the Boss themselves?"

Flora thought for a second, then snapped her fingers as a flash of inspiration struck her. "Bulstrode."

Tracey looked confused for a second before a light dawned in her eyes. "Of course." She said. "Bulstrode is the Slytherin equivalent of Parvati mixed with Ron, minus any of their good qualities. She'd love to squeal lies at Skeeter if she knew how to."

Flora pressed the tips of her fingers together. "Hm. I have part of a plan. Where's Susan, I need to bounce some thoughts of her..."

 _ ****~Outside~****_

"-think I might be in love and what if she doesn't feel the same way and what if this ruins our friendship or makes it really complicated so it'll never be the same and I feel like my heart's gonna explode and I don't know what to DO!"

"Ginny! _Ginny_." Sally placed her hands on the hyperventilating redhead's shoulders, pushing her back down to where they were sitting in the snow near the lake. "Right now you need to _breathe_. Relax. As much as you can."

"I _can't_ relax!" Ginny wailed. "What if I've messed up my relationship with my best friend?!"

"You don't know that! Calm down. If you're going to come to a good decision you need to be as calm as possible while making it." Sally reached into her bag and ruffled through it, eventually coming up with a small vial. "Here. Mild calming draught. Hannah says it's good to have little things like this on hand."

Ginny timidly accepted it, pulled the stopper with shaking fingers and downed it with one gulp. Once the shiver had run through her body, she shook her head and whispered, "God, I ran off before she said anything and I haven't really talked to her since." Her discussions with Edith since the ball had been peppered with awkward silences and a giant sized elephant in the room both were trying hard not to acknowledge.

"I'm not surprised." Sally weathered the dirty look Ginny gave her at that and said pointedly, "This is a brand new experience for you, and doubly so for Edith – you know her history, Ginny! You know about the Dursleys! You know that Sirius and Remus, while her guardians, are just as likely to treat her like a replacement for James and Lily than as their daughter figure. They can't sort out her trauma and their own at the same time. They're trying, but they can't."

Ginny sniffed slightly and nodded. "I...I guess I knew, I always knew Edith would have trouble with love. She's got friendship down easily; she can do the skin deep stuff without batting an eyelash but she can handle the real ones as well. But...she doesn't really _love_ , does she? I mean, the closest she has to love is Tristan and he's her familiar..."

"Love is complicated." Sally said. A girl with hair like wheat flashed before her eyes for a second, prompting her to shake her head. "And you might not be in love the way you think you are."

"What do you mean?" Ginny seemed hurt by that. "You don't think I can care about her that way?"

"Never said that," Sally answered, mildly offended. "Love is often more messy than its depicted in the storybooks. Its complicated and deeply embedded in a person. Its hard to recognize, and its not something you can pull apart at the seams then stare at the pieces in order to figure it out – that's the way Edith likes doing things. Chilly, practical and impersonal."

Ginny closed her hands for a moment. "So...she doesn't understand how I feel?"

"I think she does understand now, _to an extent._ " Sally said cautiously, knowing she had to trot cautiously here. "But she doesn't understand what it means for _her_. Not _deeply_. Not on a really intimate level. She may not believe she herself is capable of it." Biting her lip, she added, "...she may not believe she's _worthy_ of it."

Ginny's face colored with outrage. "Who deserves it more than her?" She demanded.

"I think you're right," Sally said with continued calm; that was the best way to help a Weasley when they blew up – remain steady and clear and let them understand from there. "However Edith will have trouble with that. Unfortunately for someone with a history like hers – someone who grew up completely without love, someone who was punished for wanting to _be_ loved – those scars are going to interfere. Even when she knows, intellectually, that they were wrong."

Ginny slumped. "How?" She whispered. "How could I possibly help her, if she doesn't know she needs help?"

"You have to be there. And you have to be there for a long time." Sally said with a sad shrug. "You have to be willing to wait for her to understand it all. And before you say that you will...you have to think about what that really means, too. You've never been in a full relationship before, have you? Dating and all?"

Ginny shook her head. "I've...had crushes. Lots of crushes." She admitted. "I think I had one on Edith, mixed in with my hero worship, before I really knew her. I had one on _Lockhart,_ as horrible and gross as that is in retrospect, because he looked good and he was a good showman."

"You're not the only one," Sally said gently but firmly. "He played people a lot older than you for fools, and Ama ate him just like he deserved."

"I'm glad she didn't get sick from that," Ginny responded with a baeful smile. "But...yeah...I've never been on a real date. Are – are you saying I should have, what, a test run?" The idea didn't make sense to her. "Someone I should just try things with without ever getting serious?"

"That would be a disaster," Sally contested. "I'm not suggesting you use someone just for the sake of getting experience. I'm just suggesting you think real hard about what you actually want, and don't jump into something without understanding it."

"...Do you think I'll ever have a chance with her?" Ginny asked softly, blowing out a cloud of fog in front of her eyes. "Do you think she'll ever look at me...that way?"

"I don't know, Ginny. I'm sorry." Sally said. "Sometimes it's hard to see what's going on in Edith's head. I don't think you need to worry about her being disgusted with you or anything – she cares about you a lot, and I think she trusts you the most with her emotions. Remember? When Sirius was revealed to be innocent, she let you see her at her most vulnerable. When she got her invisibility cloak, she offered to take you – and _only_ you – on an exclusive tour around Hogwarts at night. She always seems to want you on her right whenever we have a meeting with everybody in our little 'collective'. She values you, Ginny. Perhaps if it isn't that now...maybe it could be later. If you're willing to wait."

"Willing to wait..." Ginny leaned her head back, letting the wind run through her red hair, snowflakes tangling in the fire red strands. "Well...I wanted to meet her ever since I learned about her legend... I had to wait until I finally got to Hogwarts to do so. I know about waiting. Maybe waiting a little longer...maybe I won't notice the way I think I will."

Sally smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's a start."

Ginny smiled back, clasping the hand in her own. "Thank you, Sally. You're a great shoulder to lean on. You know I think you're the other person Edith trusts most. She tries not to play favorites, but when making decisions she thinks we'll question, she always glanced at you first. Susan sometimes, but always you first."

"I'm flattered by it," Sally laughed, before saying more seriously, "I think it's because I was her first real friend. Did I ever tell you she was the first person I met on the train?" Her expression was warm. "She got rid of Nott when he was bullying me over being muggleborn. She welcomed me with no fuss – maybe she had mercenary motives, it has occurred to me, but you know what? I don't really care. She was my guide and my protector when I was at my most naive and I'll always owe her that. She's probably...one of the most important people in my life."

Ginny nodded in understanding. Sally's face softened into something like sadness. "I knew something was wrong the first time I hugged Edith. She froze up; I could feel her muscles tense under my arms like she was gonna throw me off. Then, that first Christmas...I heard from Daphne, Hestia and Tracey that she broke down crying when she realized we had gotten her presents. My parents work in the ER and child psychology respectively, they've taught me to spot abuse signs, and that basically set off all my alarms long before she told me herself."

"It took me longer," Ginny said with a sigh, "When I asked her what her guardians had given her for Christmas, she got a cold look on her face that was like when she told of Macmillian and his friends for calling her the Heir of Slytherin. I guess...I didn't want to believe that family could do that to each other."

"We're lucky," Sally acknowledged. "We've got good parents."

Ginny snorted slightly. "At least one good parent," She said.

Sally shook her head. "I know you feel like she smothers you, Ginny, but Molly loves you like nothing I've ever seen." The muggleborn had just needed to meet the Weasleys on the platform to confirm that. "You're her most precious treasure. I'm willing to bet that if you and Edith work something out, she'd welcome it with little reservation.

"...unlike Daphne's parents?" Ginny asked softly.

She'd hit on something, she could tell. There was a reason Sally had been the one she sought out with her fears and baggage. Sally thought for a few seconds, then looked away. "Daphne isn't like Edith. Daphne's family loves her."

"But they wouldn't approve of you and her."

It was Sally's turn to stare at her hands. "It's not their fault. It was the world they were raised in, too..." She closed her eyes for a moment and sighed heavily. "We'd...be allowed...to experiment." She muttered. "Discreetly. Never in public. She would never be allowed... ...marriage is for the bloodline, for the past and the future. It would be one thing already because I am muggle born. But no, I'm muggle born _and a girl_. To even imply that I'd want more..."

"...You get bitches like Skeeter sneering at you, at the best of times." Ginny moped. "It's not _fair_."

Sally clenched her fists against her knees. "I hope Boss finds a way to do something about her." She whispered. "Horrid woman. I know Fleur warned us, but nothing prepares you for the real thing. Where does she get off, sensationalizing people's lives?"

"That's easy." Ginny said bitterly. "It pays really well."

She leaned over and put her head on Sally's shoulder. Her friend took that in the spirit of things and put an arm around her waist, both of them staring out across the lake...not quite hearing a buzzing noise coming from not too far away. If either of them had completed animagus training, they would have known – but it wasn't safe for anyone under fifteen to experiment with magic that advanced. And Tristan was back at the castle with his master.

Deep in the snow, a bug buzzed gleefully at this new information.

 **** _~Elsewhere outside Hogwarts~*_ ***

" _How long are you going to stare out across the grasslands, pup?"_ Tristan pushed his nose against Edith's palm, letting out a soft snuffle that conveyed his worry even better than their mental bond. Edith was perched midway across the Hogwarts bridge and was looking intently at the horizon, her usually sharp green eyes clouded by many different thoughts that had no harmony between them. " _You've been doing this on and off for days._ "

"I haven't...I...I don't know, Tristan." The memory of warm pressure against her lips darted across her mental landscape; she screwed up her eyes in response.

" _I understand your packmate has suggested she wants to be closer. Why does this trouble you?"_

"I don't bloody _know_ , Tristan! I don't..." Edith let out a ragged sigh. "I don't know. I don't _know_. Fucking hell, why is that the only thing I can think about, no matter how I try to approach this in my mind?"

" _You're young still,"_ Tristan said, as matter of fact as a dog/wolf mix could sound to a human, " _despite your aspirations, you are young, and you lack the maturity to put it all into perspective."_

"...If I couldn't sense your mind, I'd be offended by being considered lacking in maturity."

" _You_ are _,"_ Tristan responded with a degree of firmness. " _It is nothing to be ashamed of, pup. You cannot skip childhood – you can be deprived of its necessities, but it cannot be completely skipped, for it is connected to time and you cannot rush time."_

"I can turn it backwards. I've been living weeks twice over ever since September started!"

" _And you have been gaining back time you lost with your abominable false pack,"_ Tristan chided. " _Such is useful for healing purposes, but you can only turn your magic clock_ backwards _, not_ forwards _. And that ignores something very important."_

"Which is?" Edith asked flintily.

"When you've had love stolen from you, love forgotten, love you were too young to remember, you cannot expect to understand love when you experience it the first time," A young voice, pointedly _not_ Tristan's, answered in response.

Edith's head snapped up, meeting the gray eyes of Natalie MacDonald. The eleven year old was standing a couple arms length away, her hair blowing in the wind. In the winter setting, her skin seemed as white as the snow, so white it was nearly translucent. She wasn't wearing her Hogwarts robes, but a muggle coat and pants. It struck Edith that the coat was probably not warm enough to keep her comfortable, but Natalie was giving no indication she was cold.

"How did you know what...?" Edith looked sharply down at Tristan, then up at Natalie again. "How could you hear what he was saying to me?"

Natalie shrugged slightly. "I've always heard things. More than most. It's a long story, and part of a longer one. I'd rather wait for the day when I tell the longer one, so I don't have to tell the same story twice. It's a very sad one."

"I have time," Edith responded.

Natalie shook her head. "Not time right now. Don't have much of it, but...not time. Maybe some day. You're a strange person, Edith. I think you might be the one. Not just for me. For other things too."

Edith looked intently at her. "For other things? ...You're pretty observant for a first year."

"So were you. When you were my age. No one sees you looking at people because they thought they knew your story already. Me? No one looks at me in the first place."

"I'm looking at you."

"And you are the one." Natalie responded. "You're not complete. Not yet. But you might be."

"Not complete?" Edith parroted, starting to feel uncomfortable.

Natalie tilted her head towards the lake. "Just this. Why do people live?"

"Getting philosophical? That's a big question for a little girl."

"Why do you live?" It seemed she wouldn't be swayed from her question.

"To achieve something." Edith responded. It was true and didn't tell her anything substantial. Why not admit that much? "To change things. To make things better."

Natalie nodded in amiable acceptance of this. "I live for love. I live for emotion. Without it life is nothing. Without it life is a lie, a shell, emptiness without a purpose, life that will mean nothing when it is gone. Without love, you aren't alive. Without love, breath is the clock. The clock ticking." She touched one hand to the inside of her other wrist.

Now Edith was nervous. "You've read Skeeter's article?"

Natalie rolled her eyes, the small motion oozing contempt at the idea. "No. I never bother with her. She wastes her life and it will consume her. I don't feel one bit sorry for her." She said that as if she'd read the autopsy of a Darwin Award winner. "I just watch people. I watch how she looks at you."

Edith shook her head. "I don't know..."

"You don't know how to know," Natalie agreed. "Because you do not love yourself."

Edith couldn't help but chuckle. It was a mirthless noise. "I suppose not."

"Then perhaps you should look not through your eyes, but hers." Natalie said. "If you do not love yourself, you do not truly know yourself." She tilted her head. "Perhaps the lake will show you. The lake will show your reflection, a window to your soul. Then you may start to understand."

"The _lake_?" Edith echoed.

"Treasure will be there soon," Natalie said softly. "Precious treasure. They think it will be safe to dive for. It won't. Death is very close. She wonders if today is the day."

 _Okay...you're either a seer, psychologically unbalanced, or both,_ Edith thought. "Not today," She responded simply. "Not tomorrow. Not until I've completed my work."

Natalie nodded slowly, eyes unfocused. "I understand." She stood still for a moment, then shook her head and turned back towards the castle. "Are you ready for the next task?"

"...Damn, I should really get on that," Edith muttered. "Where's Cedric, Tristan? I need a favor."

 **** _~Elsewhere inside Hogwarts~**_**

"I wouldn't bet on her having an invisibility cloak," Susan said, shuffling her books and moving an essay she'd been writing off to the side. Flora, Megan, Tracey, Padma, Hermione and Ron were all sitting around her, debating how they were going to handle the Skeeter issue. "The Ministry has a very tight sale on those, they don't last for more than a couple years at best and they're nearly impossible to come across outside the government even on the black market – thank Aunt Amy for that, she pushed for tight regulation after the war ended."

"Hey...could Skeeter be an animagus?" Ron suggested. When the girls all stared at him, he turned red at the ears and stuttered, "It worked out for Black didn't it? He walked right in and out of the school, he only got caught because Edith and Ginny were out walking with the invisibility cloak."

Padma clapped her hands together. "Ron! That's brilliant!" He blushed harder at his girlfriend's praise.

Susan looked thoughtful. "You know...that makes a lot of sense, Ron. Hermione, have you looked up-?"

Hermione shook her head. "There's no Rita Skeeter on the list of registered animagus on the dossier of the last century." She reported. "There aren't a lot of them in recent years for some reason, and I would have remembered her name."

"So maybe she isn't registered," Susan mused, tapping her fingers together. She smirked. "Well, I think I know how we'll shut her up once we catch her. The question is finding her first."

"What sort of animal would she be, though?" Padma asked, frowning. "I think it must be small...if it were something inconspicuous, she might have been able to spy on the Yule Ball personally and just use Nott and the others for quotes."

"Maybe a squirrel? A chipmunk? Or maybe some sort of bug?" Tracey suggested.

"All of them are possible." Susan said, brow furrowing. "If only we had an animagus among us...Oh! Edith should invite her godfather to the next task. Animagus have a way of seeing each other, even when they've activated their disguises. If she's skulking around he may be able to spot her."

"I'll bring it up," Hermione said. "Though perhaps someone should stalk anyone likely to talk to Skeeter...or maybe..." She looked speculative. "How much do we know about the mechanics of the map Edith's parents created? Can we invent a segment for Hogsmeade?"

Tracey bit her lip. "It would take time. Edith and I have studied it extensively, but we've only got the basic spells down pat. We'll be able to create a Hogsmeade section, but I don't know if we can get it done soon enough to keep Skeeter from doing more damage in the immediate future."

"Which leaves us potentially animagus hunting, when we don't know what to look for," Ron blew out a long breath. "At least we've got the wiretap. Fred and George are bloody geniuses when they put their minds to it."

"Yeah." Susan sighed. "Well, everyone keep an eye out for now...we'll need to keep refining this plan as we go along."

No one was particularly happy with that, but they all nodded.

 _ ****~Prefects Bath, Slytherin~****_

" _Too late, it's gone, it won't come back..."_

Edith broke the surface of the bath and stared down at the golden false egg with a mixture of emotions twisting in her stomach. They were going to take something precious from her, stick it at the bottom of the lake (in the middle of February! Out here!) and if she didn't retrieve it before the time was up, she'd loose it forever?

What the _fuck_?!

Edith splashed her face with water. "Thank god I can swim," She muttered, "Though how I'm going to breathe underwater for an hour...I guess it depends if I go for spells or plants." She bit her lip.

" _But what's my treasure? What could be so precious to me?"_

 **End Chapter**

 _ **What indeed?**_

 _ **This and fifth year are giving me an interesting challenge. Edith, up to this point, has been very in control of the scenarios she approaches (dementors notwithstanding). How will she handle things going pear shaped in a big way? Hence why she's having trouble finding Skeeter, who's going to be a pain for a while now...**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	36. Chapter 36

**Cult Potter**

 **(There's a massive pile of documents on top of a desk. They look like they haven't been disturbed in a while. Ginny warily approaches said pile and shifts it a bit. Somewhere deep among the many pages, there is the author, sitting with her head on the desk)**

 **Ginny: You alive in there?**

 **Me: Ask my University.**

 **Ginny: This looks bad.**

 **Me: Writer's Block doesn't help. It especially doesn't help when I have it when I'm trying to write a professional style essay. (groans) I still haven't had the time to write the task. I just haven't.**

 **Ginny: But you've written something.**

 **Me: Just a character short...to let everyone know I'm not abandoning this.**

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**_

 _ **Interlude 1: Swimming**_

Edith broke the surface of the prefect bath, which was really more of a small pool than a bathtub, (honestly, it made her wonder if Hogwarts had ever offered swimming lessons when the lake was too cold to use), and glanced over at Susan. The other girl grinned at her, holding up her watch. "Fifteen seconds," she pronounced. When the redhead made a face, the lawyer-to-be rolled her eyes and leaned forward. "Don't be such a perfectionist Edith; you won't even be holding your breath during the actual task. You know you're doing pretty well right?"

"Maybe," Edith responded with a heavy sigh, heaving herself out part way so she was sitting on the edge. Her muscles were aching from the laps she had been doing prior to the underwater exercises Susan had walked her through. "It'll be different from this in practice."

"Sooo, you want me to go down to the lake, bring back some Grindyls, and dump them in here with you so you can practice legit?" Susan asked, then snorted when Edith's expression became contemplative. "C'mon, Boss. When you're learning to swim, it's best to do so without potential threats first."

"Listen to Susan, Edith," Lavender said earnestly, emerging from the water herself a few feet away. Since none of the girls had swim suits, (there had been no indication that they'd ever need them!), they'd largely been practicing in their muggle street clothes. (Those who didn't have such things, such as Flora and Tracey, were provided them). Lavender was wearing a blue tank top and shorts that were currently plastered against her pale skin. The blonde girl smiled with her usual warmth and sincerity. "You can't run perfect test preparation on everything. You'll do just fine! You always do."

Edith initially planned to make a comment along the lines of, 'I prefer to be as prepared as possible', but her train of thought was somewhat derailed when she looked at Lavender. _It's no wonder the Gryffindor boys turn into pigs around her; she's classically pretty in every way._ Where the hell had that thought come from?

Damned hormones. She blamed growing into a teenager. She blamed that damned ball. It was interrupting her neatly ordered world with a vengeance. Oh sure, everyone _talked_ a good game about how being a teenager was a confusing time, but they didn't comment on how it _literally_ dumped things on you that you had no idea how to deal with! There was nothing more anathema to a calculating mind than a bunch of overwhelming, irrational _feelings_. Edith was sorely tempted to cast calming charms on herself on a semi regular basis. Hell, she was tempted to find some way of artificially accelerating her age to nineteen or twenty, though the many, many health concerns that came with messing with your body's natural aging pace made the decision an ultimately unappealing one.

Why did feelings have to be complicated? Really! Friends were easy. Friends were all that she needed. _Love_ was a fairy tail, love created more variables than any other human emotion...No, she wasn't thinking about Ginny, wasn't thinking about that warmth and the comfort the younger girl had given her at her lower moments. Love made people fall apart. Love was _alien_ , she didn't know what to do with it.

 _Look at yourself through her eyes..._ Edith wasn't sure how Natalie MacDonald had known the second task would involve the lake. Her dialogue and diction was more similar to Luna than anyone else she had ever dealt with. While her current prevailing theory was that Natalie was 'beneath suspicion' and someone in the know had blabbed in front of her as a result, the fact that there _was_ a Divination course (even with the rarity of real Seers) made her wonder...

"Boss?" Lavender's voice pierced the haze in her mind, and she realized with a start that the other girl had been asking her something. "Edith? Daijobu desu?(are you okay?)"

Edith averted her eyes, embarrassed that she had been so distracted. "Watashi wa daijobuda,(I'm alright)" She responded with slightly shaky pronunciation, but perfect diction. "My thoughts have just been all over the place lately."

Lavender accepted that at face value, "You worry too much, Boss." The blonde chided lightly. "Just accept your feelings instead of trying to corral them all the time. You can't control everything, you know."

"I can bloody well try," Edith said sourly.

"That's impossible!" Lavender laughed, like a mother laughing at her child's stubbornness. "No one can control all of life. Relax a little, Boss. Allow some things to be. The less you strain yourself, the more you'll be able to do. Dad's like that, trying to keep everything in order all the time. Mom tells him this every time he starts panicking when his life plans go off by a fraction of a centimeter." She smiled with considerable fondness. "Dad's the reason our family's successful, but mom's the reason we haven't collapsed from stress or live perpetually bent out of shape."

"And if it's about becoming Empress," Susan added, "You do realize you'll be able to delegate some of your concerns, right?"

Edith groaned and disappeared underwater for a few moments, before resurfacing just enough to be able to say, "Quit picking on me."

"Then don't make it easy." Flora said; she was wrapped in a towel and reading a book, having bowed out of practice ten minutes ago. She was also immune to the resulting scowl this earned her.

"Yield to logic, Edith." Susan gave the death blow, smiling innocently. "You're usually more mature than your age, not less."

The redhead opened her mouth to complain again, then closed it save for a brief, huffed laugh. _If three people are telling you the same thing,_ Edith thought ruefully, _they're probably right._ She submerged herself again, letting the world fade somewhat in the soft rippling of the water. Then she let out a long breath; instead of inhaling water, surface air surged into her lungs. Her neck tingled, the flare of the magic having dimmed as she adjusted.

Her plan for the second task was a fairly simple one – Tracey had taught her a pair of Runes that allowed one to breath underwater for extended periods of time. It was popular with wizard divers. _Hoist by my own petard, I have been; I'm the one who scouted Lavender for being smarter than people give her credit for._

"Tristan is going to be awfully upset if he's really Edith's treasure," Susan commented, glancing down at her watch. "He hates cold water." She smiled slightly, remembering the time she and Sally bathed the massive hound after he spent a day hunting in the woods. They had initially heated the water with a charm, but there had been a number of briars caught in Tristain's fur; the water cooled when they were only halfway done extracting them. The hound's squirming and plaintive whines had required no translation.

"Well given that anything left without protection in winter water typically _dies_ , I imagine there will be warming and protection charms over him." Flora noted with a shrug. "If only to avoid a lawsuit jackboot that would leave a tangible footprint on the asses of those responsible. It hasn't been my experience that people loose their pets or their property to anything quietly."

Lavender nodded solemnly, remembering Parvati's grief over the completely natural death of her pet bunny thanks to a rabies infected squirrel. Hermione had about put her foot in her mouth by complaining about Divination and how it wasn't 'real magic' when Parvati had cried over something she'd heard in the class that suggested she would loose something. Thankfully, Cho had been there to give her unlikely friend a pointed elbow to the ribs, prompting the bushy haired Ravenclaw to apologize. Sometimes Hermione's single mindedness was more a curse than a blessing, Edith had commented upon hearing about this. When you lived in a world of magic, it didn't do well to be a flat earth atheist.

"You say that like I'd stop at _only_ a lawsuit, for drowning my dog and familiar." Edith said, half joking and half serious, when she emerged again. "You say that like people don't set the damned world on fire when their pets are victimized."

"Amen," Susan agreed. Flora rolled her eyes, her lips curving into a small smile, pondering what it was about animals that inflamed the protective instincts of attorneys and conquerors both.

"Does Fleur know about the Grindylows?" Edith asked, after a moment of silence.

"Well, she just so happened to overhear Padma talking about the time she went swimming in the lake and had one bite her ankle, so yes, she is now informed." Flora said succinctly.

"Good, thank you." Edith ran her hands through her hair, pulling it away from her face as she conjured a magic tie. "It would be in poor sport for the test to be unfairly slanted against one of us." She tied her ruby locks back in a ponytail. She didn't do this often, preferring to wear her hair down, but the increased visibility underwater it provided shouldn't be overlooked. "For all they insist that the champions go in on equal footing, it doesn't seem to occur to them that one of them is fourteen and the other one has mortal enemies in that lake. Gives Cedric and Viktor an advantage, doesn't it?"

Susan nodded. "If she had the time, Fleur could have argued with previous tournament pretext that this trial put her at an unfair disadvantage. Of course, since they concealed most of the details of the task that was rendered impossible."

"Friggin' cheap." Flora muttered. "Is there any _reason_ for them to keep you in suspense?"

"Hackneyed handling." Susan responded sourly, checking her watch again. Lavender sighed heavily and dramatically sank under the surface of the water. Edith smiled wanely; the blonde wanted to be an actress in good time, and she didn't doubt her capability for it. "The fact that the tournament has been shut down for over a century doesn't even count, because if they'd studied records for more than a day they would have noticed that the trials were never kept secret. With magic, there are plenty of intelligent ways to prevent cheating." The young lady rolled her eyes.

"Would it really have been _cheating_ for them to know what was in the lake?" Lavender asked upon resurfacing. "Tournaments are about showing off what you can do, right? So...knowing what you had to prepare for, wouldn't that make an amazing showing more likely? I mean, if they didn't know, they might just flail around, get hurt, and have to be pulled from the task. But if they knew, their preparation could totally impress people!"

Susan looked impressed, Flora thoughtful, and Edith crossed her arms with amusement on her face.

"I mean, this is an _event_!" Lavender protested with emphasis. "If the champions go in unprepared and scrambling to play catch up, they aren't being as flashy as they could be. Right?"

"Absolutely," Edith responded.

 **End Interlude**

 **( _disappears back into pile of University work)_ ( _apologizes for leaving this story hanging for so long_ )**

 **Read and Review please.**


	37. Chapter 37

**Cult Potter**

 **Ginny: (Wary, regarding the dense forest) This is inside her head?**

 **Edith: That would explain a few things...**

 **Me: (from a distance) Is that...? Oh hey! Your pathway should clear up in a sec, the chapter's finished!**

 **Ginny: (as the trees part in front of them) ...Are we still going to kill her?**

 **Edith: She completed her task. Not today.**

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**_

 _ **Chapter 36: The Second Task**_

Edith tied her hair back and frowned at her reflection in the mirror. There wasn't anything out of place, except for the lack of someone hovering behind her shoulder. _It's odd to not have Ginny nearby...I truly did get used to her omnipresent company. I wonder what happened, that Snape pulled her away after dinner and I haven't seen her since..._ Hopefully it wasn't trouble with the family. The last time something serious had come up, Arthur's magically enhanced car had spontaneously gained sentience and driven off, a couple of muggles on the highway noticing that there was no one in the driver's seat before it was collected again. Fortunately, urban legends would take care of any holes in the Statue of Secrecy, so Arthur only received a minor fine and a warning. And why would Ginny be called away by something like that?

 _Maybe Arthur or Molly got injured somehow. But then, why take only Ginny aside, and not Ron, Fred, George and Percy?_

She shook her head, rubbing a hand against the rune on her neck. She had two on her ankles that would give her more power and more speed when she swam. It might not give her a huge edge, considering that Viktor was going with a partial shark transfiguration, but it would do.

 _I wonder if the crowd will be disappointed with the less flashy manner of my success this time...Well, I could always win them back in the Third Task if that is so._

 _I wonder why there are only three tasks. I would have thought that a Tournament would use a Gauntlet – five or six or eight tasks in a row. The greatest of trials...perhaps there should even be twelve, to mirror the labors of Heracles. Eh, I should be grateful that there's only three, but I can't help but think if they're going to do this, they might as well go the whole way. Perhaps I should have read Flora's book about past Tri Wizard Tournaments._

Edith crossed her arms. _Diving in infested waters; a Scotland lake in February. I'd be righteously indigent if steep challenge and strategy wasn't the entire point of the tasks. Then again, there's the matter of being underage, but there's no point in staying angry about that at this point. Its easier, and better, to plot when you're calm and have a clear head. Now, where did I put that hairband...ah._

"Are you alright, Edith? That mirror hasn't done something to offend you, has it?"

Daphne's voice broke her from her reverie. Edith glanced over at her and shook her head. "No. I'm just pondering logistics. And wondering where Ginny is...you haven't seen her yet?"

"No. She never came back to the dorm." Daphne frowned a bit. "The only thing I could imagine taking her out of school like that is a family emergency."

"Did Fred, George or Ron give any hint that either of their parents were unwell recently?" Edith asked, as she ran her fingers through her hair and tied it back in a sleek ponytail. Then she grabbed her sweater off her trunk and started walking down to breakfast, Daphne at her heels.

"No, and I think such a report would dent even their cheer, so if they knew but hadn't said anything we would have noticed anyway." Daphne concluded, frowning. "Maybe it just happened last night. Or maybe something's up with Percy."

Edith paused at the foot of the stairs, so abruptly that Daphne walked into her. The blonde protested, but the redhead was a mile away. A shiver went down her spine, and she found herself thinking, quite suddenly, about Natalie MacDonald's words to her just the other day. " _Precious treasure. They think it will be safe to dive for. It won't. Death is very close. She wonders if today is the day._ "

But that couldn't be...no...it was a treasure. Treasures were _things_. Treasures were objects. Important possessions, diamonds, _maybe_ pets. Not _people_. They wouldn't...they _couldn't_...

"...dith? Edith?" Daphne's hand rested heavily on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Scotland water. February. Her involvement in the tournament an assassination attempt. "Treasure," She mumbled dumbly, as if she were doing her very best Dudley impression, and then took off down the hallway at a dead run.

"Where's Ginny?"

It was a testament to how ill suited Snape was to being the magical equivalent to a high school teacher that he didn't even look up from his work when Edith stormed in. "Taken to be your hostage for the Second Task," He responded, his voice unbelievably flat. "I registered my complaints, I reminded everyone involved about the fatal nature of the tasks, and I asserted that I was her head of house and couldn't condone something that would put her in danger. I was duly ignored on all three accounts, so I slipped her a Rune stone that would provide her with extra protection. Also, your friend Megan was not called to the office due to her mother being injured, but to serve as Mister Krum's hostage. Fleur's hostage is her nine year old sister, and you won't find Cho Chang at the Hufflepuff table for reasons I'm sure you've already guessed."

There was a moment of solid silence, which caused Snape to finally meet his student's eyes. His eyebrows flew up slightly. "I think that's the first time I've ever seen you speechless, Potter."

Edith's jaw worked for a moment before snapping shut with a click.

"I took the liberty of informing Mr and Mrs Weasley, so at the very least our esteemed headmaster will be receiving an epic Howler by tomorrow at the latest. Other than that, I see you've prepared for the task quite well, though you may want to readjust your planned strategy according to this new information."

"...I thought they would take my necklace. A piece of jewelry that belonged to my mother. _Maybe_ they would take my dog. They took _Ginny_? They're endangering her life...for the sake of a glorified pissing contest between schools? ...And Megan and Cho, too?"

"Language," Snape said. Lily was a bit of a stickler for language unless she was in combat, or dealing with bureaucrats. "And that is about the size of it, yes."

"..."

Snape paused in his writing. The atmosphere in this room had shifted; it was heavy like ozone before a thunderstorm. Edith was standing ramrod still, her eyes lidded, hair cast in front of her face. The former death eater and double agent was suddenly seized with the knowledge that if he looked right at her, he would see the face of Death Herself.

"I see." Her voice was calm. He remembered Lily sounding that calm a handful of times during the war. Each time, there had been bodies everywhere in the aftermath. "Thank you for your time, sir." Then she turned on her heel, left, and Snape found he could breathe again.

"What have they done?" He wondered.

Edith walked through the hallways, wondering if she could afford to accost Natalie. The eleven year old had given her either a prophecy or a prediction bolstered by Morpheus's realm; she was furious that she had been so obtuse as to not realize that before now. She made it most of the way to the Gryffindor tower before her common sense could assert itself enough to remind her that most Seers couldn't recall a prophecy they had given, and either way it would do no good to browbeat an eleven year old into repeat something she'd already been told. So she changed targets; storming past some confused students in order to get outside.

Ginny was taken. It had taken her half a day to even realize she had been taken. How _pathetic_ was that? She was supposed to know better, to _do_ better, to never be so vulnerable and helpless again! She had gotten _lucky._ This time she _knew_ was it would take to get Ginny back, but what if she had been taken directly by Death Eaters or other potential enemies instead of sports obsessed imbeciles? And that was before she factored in her mysterious assassin. The next logical step for him (or her), after seeing Edith conquer her first task with ease, would be to sabotage the second.

That extra protection Snape provided for Ginny might be the last thing between her and death. If Edith failed...

The redhead stumbled, momentarily feeling dizzy as the weight of that thought settled. Of Ginny, dead, because she had failed her. She remembered the boy she'd seen die in the alleyway, of Quirrel burning to cinders...She crashed into a tree and leaned on it to regain her balance.

Ginny was taken.

Megan was taken; Flora was going to be pissed when she found out. Cho was taken; she should probably find and inform Cedric, in case her Ravenclaw companion was targeted for sabotage as well. A nine year old girl, Fleur's sister, was being put in potentially mortal danger for the sake of a contest existing solely to upstage a school's ego.

Edith shook her head hard to clear it. Nausea swelled up in her stomach.

 _...I'm shaking... Am I afraid?..._ _...How dare they...how dare they endanger her for their pride. How_ dare _they treat her so carelessly! This is unacceptable! They use their students as pieces in a game? A game that provides nothing but fame and a handful of gold?!_

"Edith! Are you alright?"

She raised her head to see Cedric standing in front of her. The Hufflepuff balked a bit, his expression a mix of concern and startled...fear? "Do you know where Cho is, Cedric?" She rasped, her voice very low and dark.

"I...what? I mean, I haven't seen her since last night... she was called to the Headmaster's office, so I figured there was a family matter or something-"

"She was called there to be your hostage for the task," Edith interrupted. She watched in silence as the blood drained out of Cedric's face until he was as white as a corpse. "She'll be held at the bottom of the lake and we'll have an hour to rescue her. Fleur's nine year old sister will be down there, along with Megan and G...Ginny."

"B...but that's..." Cedric groped for words, shaking his head as if doing so would dismiss this sudden reality. "But they aren't part of the tournament!"

"They are now, by the grace of the idiots in charge." Edith straightened up, some of her dizziness having abated.

Cedric adapted quickly. The shock burned away to anger and indignation. "When I entered this tournament, I did so prepared to risk _my_ life," He growled. "I didn't agree to risk someone else's life in my place. Especially not Cho's!"

Edith nodded. "I heard the other school Headmasters may have been telling Fleur and Krum extra information about the tasks ahead of time. Do you think they know? Or should we be the ones to inform them."

"We should tell them...Fleur definitely need to know. God above, this task must have been tailor made to kill her. The monsters in the lake on top of her being desperate to reach her sister?"

Edith pondered that, then shrugged slightly. It was possible, since Fleur's father was a politician, but his lack of radical policies made her more inclined to believe it was simple incompetence and mismanagement on the part of the organizers. This was hardly a challenge set up to be fair for all participants. "Then let's go find her. She and Maisie prefer to eat outside, so they're probably on the front lawn."

"Right," Cedric offered Edith his hand, which she took after a moment's hesitation, feeling like a silly little girl when she did so. "Don't worry." Huh? "We'll get to them in time. You're the most powerful girl you're age in Britain. You can save Ginny." That was...

"Of course," She replied monotonously. Her mind was on other things. She had read in a fantasy book once a graphic description of someone drowning. The choking, the gasping for air, the drawn out nature of the death despite its almost peaceful depiction in movies... That could be Ginny. If she made even one error, that could...

Cedric said something else that she either didn't or couldn't hear, then started walking towards the front gardens. Edith kept up automatically, her brain still whirling with disasters.

 _I'm a fool._

She hadn't reacted to anything so strongly since her very first Christmas at Hogwarts.

 _I'm a complete fool._

When she'd first created her circle of friends, she had intended for them to be a petty gang with her at the center. Decent emotional ties were welcome and cultivated, but she had intended for them to be a wall and tools nonetheless. Becoming actual friends with them had been unexpected, and she had tried to adapt. She cared for them as much as she knew how to, but she was still closed off. While she helped all of them with her troubles as more came into her fold, she never let them see her own except for the one time they had seen her boggart – and that had been out of necessity, a move to regain control after being unexpectedly and brutally exposed.

 _She fled from the ball and even though I knew something, I said nothing._

But she _had_ spoken honestly to Ginny – willingly, and somehow without even noticing. She had never done that before, not even with Sally, the other person she was closest to.

 _She could die._

Rita had humiliated Ginny in that article, painting her as a vampiric attention seeker. The lord only knew what Molly and Arthur Weasley were thinking, though at least there had been no Howler forthcoming. Yet Edith had been too uncertain of the feelings she was having to go straight to her and comfort her.

 _And I don't want..._

She'd been frightened. That's what it was, at the heart of all that confusion. She was sensing the possibility of a great, powerful emotion, a life, a future...and it terrified her. She'd felt vulnerable, bear, like she was leaving herself open to a potential fatal wound.

... _to think of not ever seeing her again._

Had she prepared enough for this? What if she had miscalculated?

" _Then perhaps you should look not through your eyes, but hers._ " The rest of Natalie's prophecy echoed in her mind suddenly, breaking through the fog. " _Perhaps the lake will show you._ "

...That was right. Ginny always believed she was who she said she was. A warrior, a conqueror, a genius. Hadn't Ginny told her off when she'd gotten cold feet before facing the dragon? She'd passed that test with flying colors. She would conquer this as well. She was Edith Potter, a chosen one, and future queen. She would not fall to pieces.

 **~Line Break~**

"So how do you suppose the judges will grade a group effort?" Cedric asked in a low voice as the four Tri Wizard champions walked in a single united line towards the docks of the lake.

"I guess we'll find out," Edith responded with a small cat like smile.

The stands were remarkable to look at. Each of the champions had a dedicated group of people waving flags for them, and there was a surprising amount of camaraderie and good natured jokes between them – because they were mimicking the image put forward by the champions themselves. That of respect and mutual admiration. There had been a lot of mingling between the three schools due to the interactions between them, and everyone was learning something new. Much animosity that was borne of simple ignorance, after all...with that gone, you only saw other people.

Fleur was practically vibrating in place as Dumbledore droned about the nature of the task, her eyes fixed on the lake's surface. She'd exploded into a blistering tirade of French and some German that Edith had only understood half of (and was pretty impressed by) when she'd heard where Gabrielle was, and suggested a four way truce to ensure that their loved ones all escaped the lake without incident. Viktor had agreed readily enough, his eyes darkening – Edith found herself reminded that he was big and strong for his age, even by the standards of Quidditch players.

"I'm surprised they're all this excited to come and stare at the unmoving surface of the lake for an hour." Edith commented mildly, nodding towards the stands. "I thought the purpose of a tournament was to wow people."

Cedric shrugged. "Maybe they'll use a location spell to show us off once we're underwater. Hard to say."

 _Or our assassin wants to make his move with as little chance of detection as possible,_ Edith mused but did not say out loud. Fleur might be overwhelmed with panic if she took that into consideration, and forget the plan.

"Begin!"

They all dived in simultaniously. Fleur's bubble head charm was deceptive; she wore a skin tight body armor after being better informed that was spelled to scare off the lake's primary predators. Viktor took on his partial shark form, and took up point at the head of the quartet to dissuade potential attackers. Cedric was using Gillyweed, and was the fastest, so he swam at Viktor's right. And Edith, who had her wand tied to her wrist, swam in the middle, ear tuned to the mermen's song.

She directed them through the lake; Viktor taking out a grindlyow that came too close. Vaguely Edith hoped that Flora had brought a roll of mints, because that couldn't possibly taste good. Cedric kicked aside another one, and Edith used a banishment spell on two more. Sufficiently cowed, the other animals in their radius backed off, allowing them to approach the mermen's city unchallenged.

Inside, the mermen swam in circles around Ginny, Megan, Cho and Gabrielle. They parted when the four champions swam in; if any of them were surprised or puzzled, they weren't fazed by it. Edith frowned at Gabrielle; it could be the water currents, but it looked like she was twisting slightly in her bonds as if she were waking up...Fleur seemed to see it as well, because she swam right up to her and cut her free. Shaking her head (as much as she could underwater), Edith kicked over to Ginny and examined her. There was an air bubble around her head, though the rune for breathing under water...was gone.

 _I need to thank Snape,_ Edith thought dimly, beyond the rush of horror and rage that raised in her chest. _And I need to find my would be assassin._ She cut Ginny loose. _I'm here, Ginny. And I'll never allow this to happen again._

She glanced over at Cedric and Viktor, anxious. Thankfully, it seemed that both Megan and Cho were alright – Megan was wearing a Rune stone that was a gift from Flora, while Cho had drawn a desperate, last second rune on her neck which, while weakening, would protect her for now. _Thank god._

Together, they all swam back to the platform. Ludo announced their combound arrival with his typical excited jubliation, while Edith knelt over Ginny and shook her until she woke.

Ginny hissed and shook her head. "Ugh...what?" She blinked up at her friend. "Edith?"

Edith said nothing. There were too many people watching, she wouldn't, _couldn't_ break down. Instead she embraced Ginny tightly.

 **End Chapter**

 _ **HOLY GOD THAT TOOK WAY TOO LONG. (headdesk) I have no idea why this chapter did not want to be written. It just would. not. come. together. I'm so sorry, I'm sure you guys must be mad at waiting this long. Here it is? The task is a bit short, but with all four champions working as a unit, there's not much that would do anything but slow them down.**_

 _ **However, Edith has an assassin to confront. Who precisely is that, and what does it mean?**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


End file.
